Rose Bowl student tickets will go on sale at 8 a.m. on Dec. 13, but the location of the sale will not be revealed until an hour and a half before it begins, according to a press release issued by the athletic department on Thursday.
Students wishing to purchase tickets will have to log on to GoPSUSports.com at 6:30 a.m. to find out where the allotment of about 2,500 tickets will be sold. Tickets for Penn State's third appearance in the Rose Bowl against a to be determined opponent will cost $145 each. Students may only buy up to two tickets.
Tom Boroch, Paternoville Coordination Committee president, said Wednesday he expects a higher demand for this game than for Penn State's Alamo Bowl appearance last season.
"This is a whole new thing that they've never done before, at least that I've heard of," Boroch said of the unknown selling location.
Last year, Penn State students knew a week in advance that Alamo Bowl tickets would be on sale at the Beaver Stadium ticket office.
In 2006, students had to enter an online lottery system to get tickets for Penn State's Outback Bowl game against Tennessee.
For the 2005 Orange Bowl, tickets were offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Boroch missed out on tickets to the Outback Bowl, via the lottery system, and said he thinks by offering tickets on a first-come, first-serve basis, the athletic department is trying to be fair to all students who want to travel to Pasadena, Calif., for the game.
"From my interpretation, I think they're trying to prevent a campout for the tickets on our end," Boroch said. "And I think they're trying to make it as fair as possible for everyone by saying in advance an hour and 30 minutes before tickets go on sale exactly what the location is."
By announcing the location of the sale just before tickets are available to students, Boroch said he thinks the athletic department is acting with the health and safety of students in mind.
"They don't want anyone to be out there from now until next Saturday in the freezing, 32 degree temperatures just to get tickets," Boroch said. "I think they're just basically worried about kids getting sick."
Greg Myford, associate athletic director for marketing and communications for Penn State, didn't return calls for questions pertaining to this story.
Reginald Bryant (senior-astronomy) said he doesn't plan to go to the Rose Bowl, but said he thought the secrecy of the selling location would be to prevent a large crowd from forming.
"They're probably trying to prevent people from camping out and long lines like before the Orange Bowl," Bryant said.
Penn State's return to the Rose Bowl will be the first time the team has appeared in the game since the 1994 season. Then, the Lions beat the Oregon Ducks 38-20. Penn State will play Southern California next month if the Trojans beat UCLA on Saturday. If USC loses to UCLA, the Lions will play the Oregon State Beavers, a team Penn State beat 45-15 in the second game this season.
