This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It's customary that BYU gets the home field against Utah during odd years. The 2015 Las Vegas Bowl, Utah fans fear, is following the usual pattern.
BYU fans are likely to outnumber Utah fans at Sam Boyd Stadium, in part because their team accepted its invite four days before Utah learned its destination, and in part because the Pac-12 renegotiated its contract two years ago to lower its ticket commitment from 11,000 to 7,500.
How much of an advantage will BYU have, though? Vegas Bowl executive director John Saccenti said Ute fan fears that Sam Boyd Stadium will be four-fifths blue on Dec. 19 may be rooted in bad information.
The stadium seats 38,500 for the Las Vegas Bowl. That leaves 20,000 for the general public after the schools' allotments (11,000 for BYU, 7,500 for Utah). Saccenti said that after early sales and tickets for sponsors and committee members, about 5,000 general public tickets remained before BYU accepted its invitation last Wednesday.
Two thousand were left after Saturday night's conference championship games.
By Monday, they were sold out.
Saccenti said he took some heat from frustrated Utah fans when they saw his comment in The Tribune that the potential BYU advantage was not the bowl's fault. He hoped to clarify Monday that general tickets had been on sale since June, and that only 3,000 — not all 20,000 — moved between BYU's announcement and Utah's announcement.
"You can't sit back and not sell any tickets until you have your matchups," he said. "That's crazy. ... They're worked up from the standpoint that they think we put our tickets on sale when we announced BYU, and that's not true."
That said, given a 50 percent likelihood of being invited to Las Vegas per BYU's agreement with the Vegas and Hawaii bowls, BYU fans might've had reason to purchase tickets before the announcement. Utah was a New Year's Six contender until late-season losses to Arizona and UCLA, and as of early last week, expected to be selected by the Holiday, Foster Farms or Sun bowls.
Utah athletic director Chris Hill said he still doesn't know what balance awaits in Las Vegas.
"It just depends on whether those [early ticket-buyers] are BYU fans or not," he said.
As of Monday evening, tickets started at $230 on StubHub.com and $270 on SeatGeek.com, though slightly cheaper tickets were available on KSL.com.
Utah was still taking pre-orders as of Monday afternoon, with a deadline of Monday at 5 p.m. It expected its entire allotment to be sold, according to senior associate athletic director Liz Abel.
Saccenti said that while he's heard predominantly from frustrated Utah fans, there are BYU fans who are struggling to buy tickets, too. BYU has sold out its allotment of tickets.
Utah fans can attempt to pre-order tickets at utahtickets.com/football or by calling 801-581-8849.
Saccenti reckoned it was either the fastest or second-fastest sellout from the time the bowl announced its pairing.
Sam Boyd Stadium has accommodated more than 40,000 for past Vegas Bowls involving BYU. Saccenti acknowledged Monday that they have had discussions about expanding capacity beyond 38,500, but said he couldn't comment further.
Twitter: @matthew_piper —
Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl
P No. 20 Utah (9-3) vs. BYU (9-3) 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19 in Las Vegas
TV • ABC
Schedule • Teams arrive Tuesday, Dec. 15, with a welcome reception on Fremont Street on Dec. 16, charity events Dec. 17, a show night on Dec. 17, and a kickoff luncheon and a fan pep rally on Fremont Street on Dec. 18.