Question for Coug Fans

[CATabulous]

Gents, I have a question for you. How difficult is it to obtain tickets to a Cougar game? Like any other winning program, I’m sure it is dependent on a number of factors such as the opponent and what is at stake.

The reason I ask is that I like to travel to different campuses each year and attend games. Last year, I got to go to the Horseshoe at Ohio State, and this year I’m going to attend a game in Tuscaloosa, AL or Athens, GA. My wife and I are planning a trip to Coeur d’Alene, ID next fall, and I thought I would travel over to Spokane and Pullman to check out those areas.

On a side note, I looked at Stub Hub prices for some of the games this year, and I’ll have to say that you guys are getting a bargain. Ticket prices in the SEC are ridiculous!

Thanks in advance!

 

[TZCoug84]

Gents, I have a question for you. How difficult is it to obtain tickets to a Cougar game? Like any other winning program, I’m sure it is dependent on a number of factors such as the opponent and what is at stake.

The reason I ask is that I like to travel to different campuses each year and attend games. Last year, I got to go to the Horseshoe at Ohio State, and this year I’m going to attend a game in Tuscaloosa, AL or Athens, GA. My wife and I are planning a trip to Coeur d’Alene, ID next fall, and I thought I would travel over to Spokane and Pullman to check out those areas.

On a side note, I looked at Stub Hub prices for some of the games this year, and I’ll have to say that you guys are getting a bargain. Ticket prices in the SEC are ridiculous!

Thanks in advance!

It's not difficult to get tickets to non-conference home games; more so for conference home games. The game against UCLA just sold out this week, although the better seats probably went early. If you check back next summer when single game tix go on sale to non-season ticket holders, you should have good options. I don't remember that date, but you can call 1-800-GoCougs or check the athletic department's website next summer, say mid-July and you should be fine. Stubhub, Vividseats, etc. are also options of course. If you want club seats, I believe those are sold out so you'd need to buy from a re-seller..

 

[Flatlandcoug]

Gents, I have a question for you. How difficult is it to obtain tickets to a Cougar game? Like any other winning program, I’m sure it is dependent on a number of factors such as the opponent and what is at stake.

The reason I ask is that I like to travel to different campuses each year and attend games. Last year, I got to go to the Horseshoe at Ohio State, and this year I’m going to attend a game in Tuscaloosa, AL or Athens, GA. My wife and I are planning a trip to Coeur d’Alene, ID next fall, and I thought I would travel over to Spokane and Pullman to check out those areas.

On a side note, I looked at Stub Hub prices for some of the games this year, and I’ll have to say that you guys are getting a bargain. Ticket prices in the SEC are ridiculous!

Thanks in advance!

In general, you can buy pretty good seats directly from the university for a reasonable price a couple weeks before a game. Some of it depends on schedule though. Because WSU opened against two terrible teams, played at Houston, gets UCLA at home and then travels to Utah.....the only "good" September game to attend in Pullman is the UCLA game. As a result, tickets to that game have been limited for weeks and it's officially sold out.

Ticket sales next year will definitely be influenced by the way that this season plays out but I expect a good crowd for Houston next September but a relatively light turnout for Idaho. If we play Utah in early October.....that should be a great atmosphere. Oregon will be the most difficult game to get a ticket to. Duck fans travel well and we hate those f#ckers, so expect a tough ticket on that one. ASU and Cal will be the easiest Pac-12 games to get tickets for.....unless one of them is Dad's Weekend....and then it will get tougher. Our last home game before Apple Cup is usually the lightest attended game of the year. We host Oregon State on November 23rd this year and I'd bet that the stadium is only 2/3rds full for that game even though it's senior day.

 

[CATabulous]

FlatlandCoug and TZCoug84, thanks so much for the info! I’m looking forward to making the trip out there next year. I’ve never been to the eastern side of the state before. Everyone I’ve talked to tells me how nice it is on The Palouse.

 

[cr8zyncalif]

Agree with most of the above; I'd just add that the attendance trend has been upward in the last several Leach years and some of what we would have assumed 5 years ago is no longer absolute.

When the opening weekend of Eastern Washington deer season coincides with a home game, there has traditionally been a bit of a hit to that game's attendance. Not sure if that is still true, but we are on the road on Oct 12, so it is irrelevant this year.

And while Flat's reasoning regarding September is pretty good, I disagree regarding OSU attendance. He even has the Thanksgiving proximity to help justify 2/3 full, and in prior years I'd say he would be right. But if we are, say, a 2 loss team or better going into that game, I think that this year we'll be over 2/3. Maybe over 3/4. But not full, unless OSU surprises everybody and is a contender at that point.

 

[95coug]

And while Flat's reasoning regarding September is pretty good, I disagree regarding OSU attendance. He even has the Thanksgiving proximity to help justify 2/3 full, and in prior years I'd say he would be right. But if we are, say, a 2 loss team or better going into that game, I think that this year we'll be over 2/3. Maybe over 3/4. But not full, unless OSU surprises everybody and is a contender at that point.

There's lots of history that supports Flat's reasoning, but I'm going to point to one things to reinforce his opinion:

Last year, we were 9-1 going into the Arizona game (same weekend, Saturday before Thanksgiving). Arizona was still a potential bowl team at that point. Total paid attendance was 22,400, but that seriously overstates how many people were there. My visual estimate put the crowd at about 17,000. Student section was about 1/3 full.

Home games on Saturday before Thanksgiving have been an attendance disaster ever since we went to the 12 game schedule and moved Apple Cup to after Thanksgiving. That trend is not going to be reversed this year, regardless of how good we are or how good OSU is.

 

[CATabulous]

There's lots of history that supports Flat's reasoning, but I'm going to point to one things to reinforce his opinion:

Last year, we were 9-1 going into the Arizona game (same weekend, Saturday before Thanksgiving). Arizona was still a potential bowl team at that point. Total paid attendance was 22,400, but that seriously overstates how many people were there. My visual estimate put the crowd at about 17,000. Student section was about 1/3 full.

Home games on Saturday before Thanksgiving have been an attendance disaster ever since we went to the 12 game schedule and moved Apple Cup to after Thanksgiving. That trend is not going to be reversed this year, regardless of how good we are or how good OSU is.

17,000? Man, that’s unfathomable to me given the success that the Cougs have had over the last few years.

 

[95coug]

17,000? Man, that’s unfathomable to me given the success that the Cougs have had over the last few years.

Traveling to Pullman isn't easy - we're arguably the toughest location to get to in FBS - so historically, WSU fans don't need much excuse to not go to games.

Weather can be sketchy in winter, and the closest population center is an hour drive down a 2-lane road. Lots of fans have to drive 5+ hours over a mountain pass. No matter where you're coming from, it's at least an hour on a rural road/highway. There aren't enough hotels in town to accommodate game traffic, so every one of them jacks their rates and enforces a 2-night minimum. RV lots are no better. Every food vendor in town is packed to the rafters all weekend. Bottom line is that it's really easy to spend $500 every week for Coug games...and that doesn't count the cost of tickets.

Lots of people don't want to do it 2 weeks in a row, so when we have back-to-back home games - especially in November - attendance at one of them suffers.

The one that bothers people around here is when people choose not to go based on who we're playing. Most of us don't really care who the game is against - we're there. Skipping because we're playing New Mexico State doesn't enter our minds (we're not watching New Mexico State...and what's wrong with watching a win?). But it's real - some only want to go if we're playing Oregon or USC.

Students are also a bit mind-boggling. What else is happening on campus that's so great that you don't show up? And why leave at halftime? We close for the full week of Thanksgiving, and the little darlings can't bear to be away from mommy any longer so they hurry home on Friday and don't stay for the Saturday game. Doesn't bode well for the future of season ticket holder attendance, in my mind.

 

[cr8zyncalif]

95, I can't argue with your reasoning, or your facts. However, I'll point out that the Arizona schools probably have the least interest for fans in WA of any of the league. OSU, if they are having a decent season, is likely to get some people to the game. Of course, if they are 0-fer, then that will be a small number. And yes, as noted before, Saturday before Thanksgiving is our traditional tough draw...though that changes if the opponent is really attractive.