Last season, many Penn State fans tried without success to purchase tickets for the FedEx Orange Bowl in Miami.

However, had those fans used TicketReserve.com, they may have been able to find tickets and at a reasonable price.

TicketReserve.com, which became available to the public in December 2003, allows fans to lock in a ticket to a premier sporting event at face value months before the event by paying a varying fee to obtain rights to a ticket.

For example, last season the price for the rights to buy a ticket to the Orange Bowl for Penn State opened at five dollars. For that small price, Penn State fans could guarantee themselves the right to buy a face value ticket for the Orange Bowl if Penn State was chosen to go to that game.

As the season progressed and Penn State moved up in the BCS rankings, the price to purchase the rights for that ticket increased, finally topping out at $250. Fans could still purchase a face value ticket, but would also have to pay an extra $250. However, if fans purchased the right to buy and Penn State did not make the Orange Bowl, they would still have to pay the fee, but would not receive a ticket. Still, $250 more than face value could end up being cheaper than alternatives such as eBay.

"The market we're targeting is someone of normal means who wants to see their team in a premier event but is unwilling to pay $2,000, or whatever it would be," Ticket Reserve executive vice president Andy Leach said.

"Our marketplace is for those folks that can't afford or aren't willing to pay those prices for a ticket."

Users simply select their favorite team and pay for the right to buy a face value ticket for a major game, provided their team makes it to that game.

"Some people compare it to insurance policies," Leach said. "It's like taking out a policy that Penn State will make it to the Orange Bowl and paying for that right [to a ticket]. You've insured yourself of a face value ticket. But if the team doesn't make it, that policy expires."

TicketReserve.com has contracts with all the BCS games, several elite non-BCS games and other major events, such as the Super Bowl and Final Four.

The Web site works with Bowl executives to determine the starting price for tickets based on expectations for each team.

The only current tickets offered for college football are to major bowl games, and Leach does not foresee an expansion into selling tickets for big regular season games, such as Penn State's big games against Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame.

"We don't ever want to cross that line where we become the broker [or] scalper," Leach said.

"We want to be the anti-broker [or] scalper."

He explained that one of the unique aspects of the Web site is that the marketplace is based on the probability of teams making it to certain events, and that aspect would be greatly altered should Ticket Reserve venture into regular season matchups.

Leach compares the marketplace to the stock market, with some users just looking to make money, rather than actually attend events.

"About 15 percent of our users are traders," Leach said. "They don't necessarily buy teams they have a passion for. They just buy teams they think maybe are a little underrated ... and sell them."

Leach cited the Chicago Bears as a prime example of a moneymaking opportunity.

Prices for the rights to a Bears' Super Bowl ticket opened at $18 and are now selling for $800. Fans who bought the rights at $18 can now turn around and make a large profit because the team is currently undefeated and a frontrunner in the NFC.

"If you had enough common sense to take the Bears at $18, good for you," Leach said.

While TicketReserve.com is responsible for setting opening prices, the fans are completely in control once the season begins, Leach said.

While the Web site creates an opportunity for profit, Leach stresses that the driving force behind the site remains the fans.

"We're trying to get momentum on the fans' side," Leach said. "We're trying to align with the fans, and make sure that the fans with great passion for their teams are able to be there when their teams get to the big events. Our original name was 4Fans, and we've really tried to build around that founding principle."