If Bowl Game Invite Comes, It Could Come Late

Nov. 17, 2007

• Bowl Game Ticket Information
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Kirk’s weekly media conference (Nov. 13) | Kirk’s postgame press conference (Nov. 17)

IOWA CITY — IOWA CITY – Fans of the Iowa Hawkeyes interested in following their team to its seventh consecutive post-season bowl game, please note:

If the University of Iowa receives an invitation to participate in a post-season bowl game, it is more likely that that invitation would come later than sooner with “late” being the first weekend of December after the field of teams participating in this year’s National Championship Game and Bowl Championship Series games is announced.

“There are so many games left to play and so many scenarios involving so many teams and conferences, that it’s probably going to take some time to sort itself out,” said UI Director of Athletics Gary Barta.

“Is it possible that we will be invited – officially – to participate in a bowl game in the next few days? Yes. Is it likely? Probably not,” he added.

It’s a bad news, good news situation for friends of the UI and fans of the Iowa Hawkeyes, as far as UI Director of Athletics Gary Barta is concerned who does note that there are scenarios that could allow a decision to be made sooner…but the best bet is that it will take some time to work its way out.

“It’s unfortunate that our fans might have to wait to officially learn where our football team will play its final game of the 2007 season and begin their planning to be a part of that fun and excitement,” said Barta.

“The good news is good news for the UI and all members of the Big Ten Conference because the delay is most likely a direct result of one or more Big Ten teams remaining under consideration for an at-large berth in this year’s BCS games. That’s a real positive for football in the Big Ten.”

Many college football teams play regular season games next weekend and a handful of college football conferences play league championship games on Saturday, Dec. 1. The results of the games today, next weekend and the championship games significantly impact the selection of the teams involved in the Bowl Championship Series of games.

The BCS announces its selections officially on Sunday, Dec. 2.Completion of that selection process triggers the start of the process that officially sets the pairings of the remaining bowl games.

When the UI officially accepts an invitation for post-season play, the UI Athletics Ticket Office in Carver-Hawkeye Arena will immediately begin accepting orders for bowl game tickets over-the-counter, by telephone and via the online ticket office inside hawkeyesports.com, the official world wide web site of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The UI Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will also send via e-mail information about bowl game tickets to all season, mini-season and single-game ticket customers who have provided the Athletics Ticket Office an e-mail address. Information and an application for tickets will also be posted on hawkeyesports.com, printed inside select Iowa newspapers, and also shared with the news media.

As always, fans of the Hawkeyes are encouraged to purchase their bowl game tickets through the UI Athletics Ticket Office. By doing so, they…

• Help the UI meet its financial obligation to the bowl game
• Guarantee themselves seat locations next to other fans of the Hawkeyes
• Guarantee seat locations based on their UI ticket priority
• And, maintain their priority to access tickets to other special events involving the Iowa Hawkeyes including future bowl games

The UI Athletics Ticket Office will fill orders and make seat assignments for this year’s post-season bowl game based on each customer’s priority within the UI’s football ticket priority point system.

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