Iowa would have 25,138 tickets for Rose Bowl

If the University of Iowa qualifies for its first Rose Bowl in 19 seasons, it would be responsible for selling more than 25,000 tickets, according to data provided to The Gazette by school officials.

Any Big Ten Conference school competing in the Rose Bowl receives 25,138 tickets to that game, each with a face value of $145, according to the bowl's Web site. But those numbers are applicable only if the Big Ten school plays its traditional Pac-10 Conference rival in the game, which is held Jan. 1, 2010 in Pasadena, Calif. If the Big Ten school plays a school from another league or an independent, the Big Ten school is required to sell 34,346 tickets.

The cost for any unused tickets is incurred by the school. Iowa's athletics ticket office sold more than 12,000 tickets for the Jan. 1, 2009 Outback Bowl but requested 15,000. Iowa lost $150,000 because of it.

“We literally buy these tickets from the bowl with the expectation to sell them to our fans,” said Rick Klatt, Iowa's associate athletics director for external affairs. “So there's a financial obligation that they're helping us to meet.”

“The whole idea of buying through us is you basically know who you're going to be sitting next to. You're going to be sitting with other fans of the Hawkeyes. There may be ‘quote-unquote' better seats available, but you just never know who you're going to share the experience with.”

The Big Ten and Pac-10 champions meet annually at the Rose Bowl, scheduled this season for Jan. 1, 2010. Either league champion could shift to the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) National Championship Game if it finishes in the top two of the final BCS standings. The Rose Bowl then could select a replacement team from either the Big Ten, Pac-10 or another conference.

Iowa currently ranks fourth nationally in the BCS standings with an 8-0 record and sits alone atop the Big Ten standings at 4-0.

“These are tough economic times, but we have so many alums in California, Arizona, places like that, that if we were able to get to Pasadena, the 25,000 number we think is pretty doable,” Klatt said. “The larger number is kind of hmmm ... it's food for thought. We've got a long way to go before we worry about that.”

However, if Iowa finishes in the top two in the final BCS standings and plays for the national title, it would be required to sell only 16,000 tickets. Corporate sponsors, television partners and other officials receive a larger share of ticket than at a regular bowl game.

The title game will also be held in Pasadena, Calif., this season on Jan. 7, 2010.

It's likely Iowa officials wouldn't know which game the school would attend - even with an undefeated record - until bowl selection day on Dec. 6.

“You don't want to jinx anything, but you also have to be prudent and administratively smart so we started talking about this a week ago, 10 days ago,” Klatt said.

Big Ten teams competing in either BCS title game or the Rose Bowl receive a $2.2 million allowance from the conference.

All league bowl earnings are divided among the 11 schools and league offices after bowl expenses.