Penn State football fans jump at Rose Bowl tickets

By the time the clock signaled the end of last Saturday's victory in Beaver Stadium by Penn State over rival Michigan State, roses were in the air.

With the victory, the Nittany Lions, one of college football's more storied teams, secured its spot in the "Grand Daddy" of all January 1 games, the Rose Bowl. And before the team's opponent has been determined, Penn State fans have already shown their allegiance by beginning to snap up tickets to the cross-country event.

According to TicketNews parent company TicketNetwork, more than 45 orders were placed on the exchange for tickets to the game, totaling more than $61,000, from Saturday evening to today, November 25. A total of 28 of those orders were placed on Saturday alone. Ticket prices also increased on average more than $60 from Saturday night to Sunday night for some of the lower priced seats.

By contrast, only a total of eight ticket orders were placed for the game from November 1 to November 21, totaling about $11,000.

College sports commentators on Saturday said a possible opponent for Penn State in the Rose Bowl is the USC Trojans, a dream match up, but nothing has been confirmed as of yet.

Ticket prices for the game were ranging from about $300 per ticket to more than $1,200 for a ticket/travel package that included the hotel. The current single ticket price compares favorably with the average price for a ticket sold to last season's Rose Bowl on StubHub.

Current ticket prices on StubHub for the game were similar.

(This story was edited and changed on Wednesday, November 26, 2008)