Ohio State sold less than two-thirds of Cotton Bowl ticket allotment

ARLINGTON, Texas — Ohio State sold less than two-thirds of its allotment of tickets for the Cotton Bowl against Missouri.

Brett Scarbrough, the school’s associate athletic director for ticketing and premium seating, said Wednesday that approximately 7,500 out of its 12,000 allotted tickets were sold or set aside for guests of the team.

The demand to see the Buckeyes in the postseason is less than last year when they were in the College Football Playoff. Appearing in the Peach Bowl, which hosted a semifinal in Atlanta, their allotment of 13,000 tickets sold out within days.

It’s also down from their last appearance in a non-CFP bowl game. When Ohio State met Utah in the Rose Bowl two years ago, it sold about 13,000 tickets for college football’s oldest bowl game, about two-thirds of its allotment.

The Cotton Bowl has been a hotter ticket among Missouri fans. A school spokesman said it sold 13,000 tickets only one day after receiving a bid.

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The Tigers are appearing in the first New Year’s Six bowl game since 2014 after a surprise season that saw them finish 10-2 overall and push two-time defending national champion Georgia at the top of the Southeastern Conference’s East Division.

There is less novelty for the Buckeyes, who are appearing in their 11th consecutive NY6 game, including a previous appearance in the Cotton Bowl at the end of the 2017 season.

Scarbrough said Ohio State’s remaining allotted tickets were returned to the Cotton Bowl.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch and can be reached at jkaufman@dispatch.com.