MADISON, Wis. — If you're still looking to score tickets for Saturday's Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis, don't worry: There are plenty of seats available.
That's because tickets for the game between Wisconsin (7-5) and Nebraska (10-2) at Lucas Oil Stadium are moving as quickly as a tortoise in the mud.
"It's a buyer's market," said Jim Bryce, co-owner of Ticket King, a ticket broker based out of Milwaukee and Green Bay.
For a little perspective on how bad things are, consider this: Nebraska, which lays claim to one of the best traveling fan bases in the country, was given an allotment of 15,000 tickets to sell. School officials gave back about 7,200 of those tickets to Ticketmaster, the main vendor for the Big Ten championship game.
Wisconsin associate athletic director Justin Doherty told FOXSportsWisconsin.com the school gave back roughly 8,000 tickets. Last year, when Wisconsin played in the inaugural Big Ten championship game against Michigan State, he said the school returned 2,000 tickets.
"There's a lot of different factors that go into it," Doherty said. "We were in the game last year. On the other hand, Indianapolis is a fantastic place for a sporting event. It's hard to say what motivates people to go or not go."
According to Chad Carr, president of Omaha-based ticket broker Ticket Express, several issues have led to stagnant sales on Nebraska's end:
1) The distance from Lincoln, Neb., to Indianapolis is roughly 650 miles.
2) Indianapolis, which will host the Big Ten championship through at least 2015, isn't exactly a majestic paradise for a December venue.
3) Nebraska fans were given just one week's notice that the Cornhuskers would be in the Big Ten title game. Nebraska didn't clinch its spot as Legends Division champions until a 13-7 victory against Iowa last Friday.
And 4) Cornhuskers fans are optimistic about playing a more important game next month — one the team hasn't appeared in since 2002.
"I think that a lot of people are just waiting and wanting to go to the Rose Bowl and saving their money," Carr said.
On Wisconsin's end, ticket sales are scarce for different reasons. The Badgers played in last year's title game, so a return trip is nothing new to Wisconsin fans.
Wisconsin has known it would represent the Leaders Division in Indianapolis for three weeks, but it also backed its way into the championship, finishing in third place behind undefeated Ohio State and Penn State. Both of those teams are banned from postseason play because of NCAA sanctions.
The Badgers lost to both Ohio State and Penn State in overtime during the final two weeks of the regular season and could become the first five-loss team in the history of the Rose Bowl with a victory on Saturday.
Last season, Wisconsin was 10-2 and ranked in the top 15 in the country when it beat Michigan State 42-39 for the Big Ten championship. That contest drew 64,152 fans, but it would be difficult to imagine this year's crowd equaling that number.
"It's an event that really isn't that big of a deal," Bryce said. "If the Badgers were in first or second place overall, I think it would be better. In third place, I just don't think many people care. That's the reality."
The ticket selling website stubhub.com had more than 2,000 tickets available for the game as of noon CT Thursday, ranging from $21 to $500.
Carr, whose company expects only to break even, is selling tickets for as low as $39 and said club seats, normally a $175 face value, are selling for $125.
In 2009 and 2010, Nebraska fans traveled well when the Cornhuskers played in the Big 12 championship game. But those games took place in the warmer climate of Arlington, Texas. Carr said Nebraska fans simply don't feel the same type of emotional investment in a Big Ten championship game against Wisconsin, and Indianapolis sports fans hold no allegiances to either team.
That means plenty of opportunities for fans to find last-minute tickets at a fair price.
"If you're looking to go, you're going to get yourself a decent deal," Bryce said. "There are certainly seats around. That's the way it is unfortunately."
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