Nevada still has tickets available for the Hawaii Bowl. Lots and lots of tickets.
Nevada isn't sure how many of its fans plan to show up for the Hawaii Bowl, but if the phone sales are any indication, it's not many: As of Sunday evening, the Wolf Pack had sold just 10 tickets through phone sales. Yeah, 10. And Virginia Tech was getting a ribbing for its lack of ticket sales.
Of course, about 600 people are on the pass list, which is usually reserved for family and friends of players, coaches and staff, and Nevada is unsure how many fans have purchased tickets online because those sales go through the Hawaii Bowl website.
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This isn't that big of a surprise. The Hawaii Bowl is always a tough sell because it's far, expensive and played on Christmas Eve. When the Wolf Pack played in the game in 2009, only about 150-200 people showed up.
In 2008, the Wolf Pack also struggled to sell tickets to the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise. It did much better at the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl last year, where it sold more than 30,000 tickets after beating Boise State and sharing the WAC title. That bowl also was within driving distance for Nevada fans.
Hawaii is a tourist destination in the winter, but it's understandable that ticket sales are low considering the outrageous airfare to the islands during the holiday season. At least the Wolf Pack will have the band there to cheer it on, only the second band to make the trip in the bowl's 10-year history.
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Graham Watson is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow her @Yahoo_Graham.
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