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Posted on Thu, Dec 15, 2011 : 10:30 p.m.

Virginia Tech's ticket sales still slow, but athletic director expects plenty of Hokies fans at Sugar Bowl

By AnnArbor.com Staff

Virginia Tech will sell about 57 percent of its Sugar Bowl ticket allotment, the Washington Post reported Thursday.

Virginia Tech athletic director Jim Weaver said the secondary ticket market and a Tuesday night bowl game have limited ticket sales of the Jan. 3 game that will feature the Michigan football team against the Hokies in New Orleans. (8:30 p.m., ESPN).

Weaver told the Washington Post that Virginia Tech will sell about 10,000 of its 17,500 tickets. It won't have to pay for the unused tickets because the Atlantic Coast Conference picks up the tab once a university sells at least 8,000.

Weaver to the Washington Post:

“Our fans have gone to 19 straight bowl games. They’re savvy, they know how to get better seat locations at cheaper prices. We believe and we know we’re going to have a very good crowd. It’s just that they’re not buying their tickets from us.”

Comments

MRunner73

Sat, Dec 17, 2011 : 6:04 p.m.

Va Tech is trying to put a positive spin on a sad situation. The Jan 3rd schedule has something to do with it. I agree with LHCarr on the zero momentum for the Hokies. They got blown out against Clemson in the ACC Championship game. It is possible that the majority of the fan base over there feels that the season is over.

azwolverine

Fri, Dec 16, 2011 : 10:04 a.m.

I say Va Tech give the rest of their allotment to UM, which will sell them out and give UM a huge home-field advantage (despite the away game uniforms).

LHCarr

Fri, Dec 16, 2011 : 4:19 a.m.

I know the "we need a playoff" argument is getting tired, and I know neither of these teams should even be considered for a playoff this year, but this is just another example of how the current system doesn't get it right. Va Tech has absolutelty zero momentum headed into what is supposed to be the most exciting part of the season, yet here they are in what's supposed to be a huge game and they can't even sell their tickets. My argument is that you let 'em play right now when performance dictates who has played well enough to win, especially at the end of the regular season when it matters the most, to play in a MEANINGFUL post-season game. Instead everyone is talking about how much (or how little) these games mean in regards to next season because there's such a huge lapse in time before we even play again. Even Bama and LSU have a full month to prepare for each other and allow about a hundred things to distract them. Everyone is playing a separate one-game season. It's too disconnected.