Alabama, Michigan State fans flock to Cotton Bowl

Theda Dyer remembers when the Michigan State Spartans received an invitation last year to the Rose Bowl.

It was the school’s first trip to Pasadena, Calif., in 26 years and Dyer, a travel agent with Knutson’s Travel Port in Lansing, Mich., was amazed at the fevered response from Spartans fans.

“It was crazy,” Dyer said. “People were throwing money at us. They were willing to pay whatever it took. The ticket prices just kept going up and up.”

Surprisingly, with No. 3 Michigan State facing No. 2 Alabama in one College Football Playoff semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic in Arlington, Dyer said she’s not seeing the same passion for tickets.

It probably doesn’t help that the Spartans were in last season’s Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium, which was played on Jan. 1, 2015. While the Spartans rallied to beat Baylor in that game, many fans are holding off coming back this week and hoping for a Michigan State victory and a chance to attend the College Football National Championship in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan 11.

It may also have something to do with the game being on New Year’s Eve (Thursday) rather than New Year’s Day, the traditional day for college football’s biggest bowl games.

“All the tickets are sold,” Dyer said. “All of the charter planes are full, but I think the majority of regular Joes are doing a wait-and-see. They’ll be at watch parties all over town, but many are waiting for the national championship game.”

Alabama fans are also familiar with AT&T Stadium. Many traveled to this year’s season opener against Wisconsin and will be back next year for a game against USC.

Both teams arrived this weekend for Thursday’s game. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

The other semifinal pits top-ranked Clemson against No. 4 Oklahoma in the Capital One Orange Bowl in Miami. Kickoff is 3 p.m. Thursday.

A tough choice

College football fans face a costly dilemma.

They can spend their hard-earned cash on the semifinal game or stay home, hoping their school makes it to the national championship.

Only the wealthiest — or craziest — fans can afford to blow the budget on both games.

“Do you spend $10,000 on the semifinal game or wait to spend $30,000 on the national championship game?” said Dennis Hamilton, owner of Spartan Sports Tours in East Lansing.

Hamilton’s company has helped fill six charter planes to Dallas-Fort Worth for the Cotton Bowl. If Michigan State makes it to the national championship, there will likely be a dozen charter flights headed to Arizona.

Hamilton and his partners are covered either way.

If Michigan State doesn’t make it, those planes will be used for fans of Alabama and the winner of the Orange Bowl.

While some fans may be sitting this one out, the Cotton Bowl is still a hot ticket.

Tide will roll into DFW

Alabama sold its allotment of tickets within minutes and will be in full force at AT&T Stadium. The Crimson Tide is expected to have a home-field advantage as thousands make the drive from Alabama.

“There seems to be a lot of interest,” said Dan Novakov, chairman of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. “Prices are holding up. You have the Big 10/SEC drama playing out. I think people are looking forward to it.”

Scott Baima, owner of Texas Tickets in Dallas, said demand is high for the game. Last week, prices on his website ranged from $95 to $450. On StubHub, seats ranged from $120 to more than $10,000 for some suites. Standing-room-only tickets in AT&T’s party plazas were selling for about $25.

“It’s a lot bigger than a regular Cotton Bowl game,” Baima said. “It’s No. 2 vs No. 3 so it’s a lot better than just getting whatever teams you can get.”

Baima had advice for those fans waiting to see if their team makes it to the College Football Playoff National Championship game.

“It’s kind of like when the Cowboys make the playoff and fans decide if they want to go to the first-round game or wait to see if they make it to the next round,” Baima said. “How’s that worked out lately? It’s the top four teams. I think you’ve almost got to go.”

Still, many Alabama fans are also waiting to see if their team makes it to the championship game.

“The demand is not what it has been in the past,” said Ellen Ray, manager of All Seasons Sports Travel in Birmingham, Ala. “They’ve been to Dallas for the Cowboys Classic, and they’re going back next year to Dallas for the game against USC. ... A lot of people are saving up for Phoenix. Alabama has not been to Phoenix since 1991.”

Teams staying in Dallas, Grapevine

Most fans will be staying in Dallas or near the team hotels — Alabama will be staying at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, while Michigan State will be based at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine.

Arlington hotels and businesses also expect to benefit in the days leading up to the game.

Alabama will host a pregame party at the Arlington Convention Center, and the DFW Spartans alumni will host a tailgate at The Fish Bone Grill, across from AT&T Stadium.

The Sheraton Arlington is sold out on New Year’s Eve and about half the guests are staying for two nights or more, said General Manager Nancy Sorrells.

“The national championship was certainly bigger and people certainly stayed more more days for that game,” Sorrells said. “I think people are excited for this year’s game and that it’s on New Year’s Eve. It’s going to be a party for a lot of people.”

At J. Gilligan’s Bar and Grill, where fans can pay to take a shuttle to the game, the crowds may not be quite as large as for the Cowboys game, but the restaurant makes more money on college game days.

“We’ll see people at 10:30 in the morning that day for a 7 p.m. game,” said Randy Ford, owner of J. Gilligan’s. “We’ll have people that will get in town that day and won’t have any place to go. They’ll stay all day.”

Unlike last year’s inaugural national championship game, ESPN College Gameday will not set up a temporary studio in Fort Worth’s Sundance Square for live broadcasts.

But Fort Worth is not without a little more football left to be played.

California takes on Air Force in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

And TCU will play Oregon in San Antonio in the Valero Alamo Bowl, with kickoff set for 5:45 p.m. Saturday.

This story was originally published December 27, 2015 at 1:56 PM with the headline "Alabama, Michigan State fans flock to Cotton Bowl."