Auburn's designation as the road team in this year's Cotton Bowl will go much deeper than the white jerseys they'll be wearing. When Auburn lines up against Nebraska on New Year's Day, it can expect to see a wave of red in the stands.
The Cotton Bowl has sold out for five straight years and is expected to do so again this year - no thanks to Auburn. Nebraska says it will sell nearly 30,000 tickets to the game. Auburn has yet to sell its initial allotment of 12,500. In contrast, last year, the Tigers sold out its first allotment of Capital One Bowl tickets in a few days and had to ask for tickets twice more from the bowl organization.
So why the lack of interest this season? There appears to be a few reasons. Obviously, Dallas can't compare to Orlando when it comes to entertainment. Then again, who really can? The weather has also scared some people away. Dallas has been known to get sub-freezing temperatures on New Year's Day. This year, if the weather trends continue, it could be warmer than Orlando last year.
Another problem with ticket sales is past performance. If you made the trek to Orlando a year ago, you're probably still waiting on your refund from Coach Tuberville. Auburn was simply horrible. A lot of fans spent a lot of money and felt ripped off. Count me among them. Auburn will need to play better before fans return to these games.
Finally, the 10:40 CT start is a little early for some - most notably the Auburn football team. The Tigers are 2-2 in games started before noon this year. Combine that with fans having to get up at the crack of dawn after the biggest party night of the year and it's just too much.
Besides, there's nothing better than sitting laying on the sofa and watching bowl games all day, especially when Auburn is first up.
