Before the LSU football team took on the Arkansas Razorbacks, LSU students were already planning their trips to the Southeastern Conference Championship game. Fortunately for them, there was not a last-minute comeback this year by the Razorbacks to spoil the trip.
There were only 1,500 student tickets available to the approximately 30,000 students that attend LSU. Monday night students stood in line to get their IDs swiped so they could be placed in the lottery for tickets.
Mass Communication senior Matt Moscona was one of the lucky students to receive tickets through the LSU Athletics Department’s lottery. He said he was surprised there were so many students in line for tickets.
“In 2001 for the Sugar Bowl, there wasn’t a lottery and I walked in the Tuesday before the game and got tickets,” Moscona said.
Moscona said he knows several students who got their IDs swiped but were not selected for tickets through the lottery.
“I have friends who have gone to every home and away game with me and didn’t get tickets through the lottery,” Moscona said. “So they’re struggling to find tickets.”
Duc Due Ngo Vu, a pre-med sophomore, was one of the unlucky students who was unable to obtain tickets through the lottery. Vu said he was upset by the way the lottery was handled.
“I was under the impression you could only bring one ID,” Vu said. “but there were people scanning 30 to 40 IDs and they told me they had no intention of going to the game.”
Vu said these students told him they were going to sell the tickets on E-Bay to make a profit.
“If you check the Georgia Dome layout, there are student section tickets available on E-Bay,” Vu said. “I saw a set of four for $1,000.”
Vu said he was upset that even though the SEC kept the ticket prices at $25 for students, his fellow LSU fans were getting the tickets through the lottery and jacking the prices up.
Calls to the Athletics Department and LSU Ticket Office regarding the issue were not returned.
Some students received tickets from season ticket holders that are not attending the game.
Biology senior Ski Betanski was another unlucky student. However, he is buying tickets for face value from friends that are season ticket holders. Betanski said that he would have bought tickets on E-Bay had he not found some. He said he would have paid up to $200 for a ticket.
Some students are opting to watch the game from home instead of searching for tickets.
Patrick Reed, a general studies student, said that he chose to stay at home due to finals and will watch the game on television.
Mass Communication freshman Nicole Olivier was chosen for tickets through the lottery. She said she would have gone to Atlanta even if she did not have tickets.
“I was going to try to go up there and see if someone was selling it,” Olivier said. “Some of my friends are trying to go and they can’t find tickets.”