College football season is nearly here, along with the game diehard Boise State fans have been waiting for: the home match-up between Boise State and rival University of Washington. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. on Sept. 4.
You might remember a man named Chris Peterson, our beloved former coach who helped bring eight years of success to Bronco nation. His abrupt decision to leave in order to coach for the Huskies pained the hearts of fans, but brought in the hope and success of the Bryan Harsin era. Let's be honest, here; while most fans still have a lot of respect for Coach Pete, don't feel bad for your desire of the Huskie's crushing defeat, or boo as they walk onto the field. Football just isn't the same without a good old fashioned rivalry. With the Vandals no longer on our schedule, our rivalry is coming in the name of UW.
Tickets for this game have been a hot topic for months in the valley, already. Many have been critical of the decision of Athletics to release individual tickets to the UW game to season ticket holders first. These individual tickets were snapped up by season holders, and sold at several times the original price; enough to pay off the cost of some lower priced season ticket options. UW game tickets are the new hot item for radio giveaways and bait for customers to buy new furniture or cars. But as students, we don't have to worry about the ticket crunch, right?
Just in time for the season opener, Boise State Athletics introduced new policies and procedures regarding student tickets and admission to games. Ticket claiming will still open the Monday of game week at 8 a.m. for full and part time students. Tickets left over by Tuesday will still be made open for students to purchase for guests. If you're bringing guests, they still need to enter the stadium with you. However, a new reservation system through Ticketmaster has been implemented, as well as paper tickets being phased out -- tickets are loaded onto your student ID and scanned at the gate.
Sounds great, right? In many ways, it is. One less thing to worry about carrying or losing; no more standing in endless lines for ticket pickup. No more purchasing a ticket from another student if you missed out on reservations. On the other hand, there are a lot of aspects of the new procedures that aren't so great. It's unclear if you can "return" a ticket after you've claimed it. Formerly, you could simply give (or sell) your ticket to another student if you decided not to attend the game. Now, even more seats could be wasted, with other students missing out on an opportunity their fees help to cover. Alumni friends can no longer tag along with a student ticket. You need to have created a completely new online ticket account for the new system, and you need to make sure that your ID is current and undamaged.
In the opposite spirit of the "free for all" on individual tickets, Boise State has specifically limited the number of guest tickets per student for the UW game. The Huskies matchup is limited to one guest ticket per student; other games stay at three additional tickets per student. These changes have ensured that the proper people are receiving student tickets and entry, but comes with feelings of dissatisfaction to many students. Clever move, BSU.
