Many season ticket holders denied Big 12 title tickets

NORMAN — Outraged Oklahoma fans mostly agree the Big 12 is to blame, but Jerry Jones and the Sooner Club point system also have been targets of disgust.

Ahead of one of the most anticipated OU-Texas matchups in history, and certainly the most unique, getting tickets to the Big 12 Championship game Saturday has proved problematic for a majority

of Sooner season ticket holders.

The Oklahoman heard from more than a dozen OU season ticket holders who were denied tickets

through the school because of high demand.

“We hope our fans understand that the last thing we want to do is disappoint any of them,” said Kenny Mossman, senior associate athletics director.

“We work very hard to give them rewarding and memorable experiences. When it’s beyond our means to meet their expectations, we’re disappointed, too.”

Oklahoma and Texas were both allotted 8,500 tickets — a total that accounts for 27 percent of the seats at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The other 46,000 seats, plus 10,000 standingroom-only tickets, were sold through the Dallas Cowboys ticket office.

Tickets were sold out by Tuesday afternoon, but thousands are for sale on the secondary market. The cheapest seat on StubHub, non-standing room, was selling for $119 Wednesday.

Institutional allotments of 8,500 tickets was the agreed-upon number between the Big 12 and AT&T Stadium. By comparison, the SEC allocates 16,300 tickets to participating schools for its conference championship game.

Being able to sell the bulk of the tickets is the primary incentive for AT&T Stadium to host the game, but Jones isn’t to blame.

The number of allocated tickets for the conference title game was decided years ago, back when the Big 12 had divisions, and it hasn’t changed since, said Bob Burda, Big 12 associate commissioner for communications.

But that’s no consolation for upset fans.

Oklahoma received 25,000 ticket requests for Saturday. Nearly a third were turned down.

For OU season ticket holders, getting tickets to a high-demand Big 12 title game is based on merit, and even more so, money.

A point system for Sooner Club members has been in place since 1995. Three points are awarded for every $100 donated in a year. Past donations are also weighed. Being a season ticket holder in multiple sports earns points, as does attendance to those games.

Members with the most points get first dibs, but several fans proposed a lottery system for season ticket holders who can’t afford significant annual donations.

Lauren Buckner has been a season ticket holder for 20 years. She donated $1,000 this year. Buckner, with 250 priority points, didn’t receive tickets through the school and will stay home Saturday.

“This is the first time in my memory we haven’t been able to get them,” Buckner said.