USA Today (07/30/20) Myerberg, Paul

With the potential college football season approaching and a clearer picture forming on how many ticket holders are choosing to retain tickets for the 2020 season, athletics departments are gauging different scenarios for ticketing and seating. Schools are applying science, math and analytics to plot out strategies to safely ticket and seat fans while constraining attendance to a fraction of normal capacity. Plans under consideration include those expecting no fans in attendance, with most schools awaiting guidelines from government, health and campus officials, as well as the drafting of a conference-only schedule by the league. To direct the ticketing process, schools are relying initially on policies created by local health officials for determining the largest permissible crowd size, which are informed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, yet vary significantly between states. For schools with season-ticket lists that constitute a third or more of total attendance under normal conditions, local health guidelines will ultimately dictate capacity and ticketing. North Carolina State is modeling hypothetical seating and ticketing options through its partnership with SAS Institute, while even those Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs that have advanced to the initial stages of seat allocation are awaiting instructions from conferences regarding bands and visiting fans. Each plan being modeled by FBS programs cannot account for whether season-ticket holders eventually feel safe enough in a large gathering to attend home games.

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