I've told this story before, but one of the funniest moments of last year's Big Ten title game weekend occurred when I got on an elevator full of fans wearing Ohio State and Nebraska gear. As the doors closed, both groups of fans looked at each other's shirts and commiserated about how they bought their tickets the previous summer and got stuck with them.
Well, the Big Ten has a new ticket system that should help fans reserve championship game tickets in advance without worrying about having to go to Indianapolis -- or dumping tickets and hotel room reservations -- if their team doesn't make it.
The reservation system, launched by the league in partnership with Forward Market Media and the Big Ten Network, allows fans to purchase "TeamTix" for as little as $10. If the team you specify makes the championship game, you are guaranteed a ticket to the game, priced at face value. If your team does not qualify, your “TeamTix” expires and you only lose the reservation fee. You can also trade your “TeamTix” in the Big Ten Forward Market, where prices could rise and fall during the season, depending on how teams are playing.
The site for making those reservations is BTN.com/TeamTix. Reservations are limited to eight tickets, and can be purchased starting at 10 am ET on Saturday.
That's also the time that regular tickets to the Dec. 1 game at Lucas Oil Stadium will go on sale to the general public. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster, and range from $50 to $125. Your ticket to the Big Ten title game includes admission to the Big Ten Fan Fest at the Indiana Convention Center from 10 a.m. ET on game day until kickoff.
So how confident are you in your team's chances of making it to Indy? Confident enough to go ahead and buy tickets? Or only confident enough to reserve the right to buy a ticket through the TeamTix system? Either way, this new addition is a good option for fans, and should help ensure a strong partisan atmosphere for whichever teams make it to the championship game.