WVU bowl tickets

From the AP:

MORGANTOWN — West Virginia University may have to eat $1 million worth of tickets to the Fiesta Bowl.

WVU spokesman Matt Wells says fans bought about 8,500 of the 17,500 tickets allotted to the university. Another 1,500 were given to players’ families, the marching band and other groups.

While WVU is saving some tickets for last-minute sales, Wells says the university returned about 7,000 tickets to the Fiesta Bowl before Christmas.

If no one purchases the 7,500 remaining tickets, he says the university will have to pay about $1 million for them.

Last year, the university sold about 15,000 tickets to see the Mountaineers play Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl.

Wells says Florida is within driving distance for most West Virginians, while Arizona is not.

Still, WVU should make a profit. If the Big East operates like other conferences, all the money from bowl games goes into a pot that will be divided among all members. And I can't see the Big East sending WVU less than $1 million from the proceeds.

But even if the bowl revenue distribution is greater than $1 million, that's still some money to eat. The question is whether anyone will buy those unused tickets that WVU sent back. I have no idea if the Fiesta Bowl will sell out, as it is the day after New Year's.

But it's a nice problem to have, making only, say, $3 million instead of $4 million. I'm sure the folks at Marshall would love to have to deal with such a disappointment.