The Wildcats have sold over 33,000 non-student season ticket packages for this football seasonGETTY IMAGES
Season ticket sales for Kentucky football "seem to have gotten a boost from last year’s historic campaign" when they finished second in the SEC East, but they "still trail all but one year" during coach Mark Stoops' six year tenure, according to Josh Moore of the LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER. UK Dir of Strategic Communication Guy Ramsey said that the school through Tuesday had "sold 33,178 paid, non-student season ticket packages" for '19. In addition, more than 5,000 of those packages "were new sales." That total is "up from 30,212 such packages" in the '18 season, a 9.8% increase year over year, but is the "second-lowest total under Stoops." Stoops’ first season ('13) "remains the highest mark" for season ticket packages during his tenure. That year, UK "sold 40,872 season tickets" ahead of the school's home opener against Miami (Ohio) (LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER, 8/29).
ON THE RISE: In Minneapolis, Megan Ryan noted Minnesota football attendance at TCF Bank Stadium last season "dropped to a 26-year low," as the school's "average announced attendance was 37,915, while their average number of tickets scanned was 22,656." As of Monday, the school had "sold 46,553 tickets" for tonight's opener against South Dakota State. A UM spokesperson said that their season-ticket sales of 21,614 are "on pace to surpass last year’s total of 21,663." The school is "optimistic for an attendance rebound this fall." Aside from last season's Iowa-Minnesota rivalry game, the home schedule "lacked marquee matchups." This year "includes visits from Nebraska, Penn State and Wisconsin" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 8/27).
NOT A FULL DAM: In Oregon, Nick Daschel notes season ticket sales at Oregon State "are flat," as the school has "sold just over 13,000 season tickets" for '19, about 85% of the 15,393 it sold last season. OSU will "continue to sell season tickets through the Cal Poly game on Sept. 14, and that number could significantly increase" depending on the team's performance the first two weeks of the season. OSU Deputy AD/External Affairs Zack Lassiter "shrugs his shoulders" when asked if Reser Stadium will "come close to its capacity of 45,674" for its opener against Oklahoma State tomorrow.Daschel: "How about 40,000?" (Portland OREGONIAN, 8/29).
NOTES: San Diego State Exec Associate AD/External Relations Steve Schnall said that one week before Saturday's season opener, season ticket sales "stood at 11,658." That figure is a 15% "decline from last season’s total of 13,648" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 8/27)....Fresno State officials said that they are "seeing an uptick in season tickets for this year's home schedule." Fresno State AD Terry Tumey said, "We've already surpassed what we did as an entire season last year. We're almost at 18,000 season tickets at this point so we're market-ably above where we were last year" (ABC30.com, 8/26).
