It really should come as no surprise. Penn State student football tickets sold out in 59 minutes this season, and it's obvious that a premium slate of home games is significantly responsible.
How hot are the home games? A $1,100 average resale tab for the Sept. 6 Penn State-Notre Dame contest at Beaver Stadium on the Web site ticketcity.com shows it is this college football season's hottest ticket, topping even the legendary rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan.
But is Penn State really all that responsible? A quick glance at the top five most expensive tickets suggests it may not be. Other than the aforementioned Buckeye-Wolverine brouhaha, the Fighting Irish have spots in all four of the remaining games. Their rivalries with USC, Michigan and Boston College are no.'s 3, 4 and 5, respectively.
So why is it, then, that Penn State owns the top pairing with Notre Dame?
It's probably a result of the fact that the two institutions haven't had a match up since 1992 before last year's 41-17 Notre Dame win. It's probably because people want to see if Penn State can take revenge, this time on its home field.
Or it might be because people just like watching Notre Dame play.
The Fighting Irish are the Yankees of collegiate football. They are the "you love 'em or hate 'em, but you still watch all of their games" squad of the sport. A bastion of gridiron excellence, their reach extends from Maine to California, and everywhere in between. Their popularity among the Irish/Catholic crowd is unparalleled.
And they haven't played in this region in quite some time, so people are going to flock to Beaver Stadium.
It certainly isn't Penn State's only premier home game. The Lions will take on Ohio State and Wisconsin at home, two games that will probably decide their season.
But the Ohio State tickets -- impossible to come by in 2005 -- are selling for an average of $504, less than half of the Fighting Irish ticket price, for a conference game that for all intents and purposes is more important. It's nothing to scoff at, of course, but the pull of the Irish reigns supreme.
Heck, Notre Dame isn't even ranked this season.
Though Penn State certainly has its share of loyal followers, the roar of the Nittany Lion doesn't compare nationwide to the Irish shaking down the thunder from the sky.
Love 'em or hate 'em.
