Georgia Tech will play in its first Orange Bowl in more than 40 years tonight when it takes on Io wa in South Florida. But many local Yellow Jackets fans will be cheering from their couches instead of watching in person.
Kent Gilbreath, a member of Augusta's Georgia Tech fan club, said he'll typically fill a bus with fans willing to hit the road to cheer on the Yellow Jackets, but that's not the case for the team's first-ever trip to a BCS Bowl game.
"I usually coordinate a fan bus, and it can be a pretty popular thing. It's a no-brainer during the regular season," he said. "But I had zero interest for this game. Nothing."
The trend doesn't seem to be exclusive to the Augusta area. Of the 17,500 tickets allotted to Georgia Tech to sell to its fans, more than 6,500 remained unsold as of Monday morning, according to assistant athletic director Dean Buchan.
Though the game isn't expected to be a sellout, Buchan said the team is expecting to be fully backed in the stands.
"We also know that a large number of our fans purchased tickets through other outlets," he said in an e-mail. "We expect to have a solid representation in Ft. Lauderdale."
Among the local fans who chose to stay home is Burles Johnson. The father of a Yellow Jacket alumnus, Johnson said he had two tickets to the Orange Bowl offered to him last week with a place to stay included. He turned down the chance to see his Yellow Jackets in person but said it's not a question of his fanhood. Johnson said he, like many other local fans, is a victim of the game's timing. With the Christmas and New Year's holidays already finished, taking off for a portion of a third consecutive week isn't feasible for many local Georgia Tech fans.
"That's my situation," Johnson said. "I'm a contractor and if I leave, I'll have to drive down Monday, watch the game, and drive back and I've lost three days. I've got customers and work to think about, and I just can't justify being gone that long. It's tough."
Johnson isn't alone. The Tuesday night kickoff comes in the first full week of January, making it difficult for Georgia Tech fans to make the 530-mile trip from Augusta. Richmond, Columbia and Aiken County school systems have already returned from their winter break and work beckons after most people, including Johnson and Gilbreath, have used up vacation days for at least a portion of the holiday season.
Gilbreath said he'll leave the bus in Augusta and will instead make the trip with just a handful of friends. And it took sacrifice to make even that possible.
"I altered my time off work for this," Gilbreath said last week. "I took off (the week of Christmas), but I'm working this week so I can take off again next week for the game."
Tonight's contest will be played in Land Shark Stadium, where its capacity of 75,540 isn't expected to be reached for the game. A reported 73,602 fans saw Virginia Tech beat Cincinnati in last year's Orange Bowl. More than 74,000 saw Kansas beat Virginia Tech two years ago.
Larry Guatier, an Orange Bowl spokesman, told the Des Moines Register on Monday that 64,000 fans are expected to attend tonight's game.
But the fans who do stay home, like Johnson, will still have their eyes on the game.
"I've got a 52-inch wide screen, and I'll be sitting five feet away and recording it all," Johnson said. "And after the game, I'll go back and watch it a couple more times if we win."
Reach Billy Byler at (706) 823-3216 or billy.byler@augustachronicle.com.
Well, as much as I'd like to give the Techie fans a hard time about not going, I just can't. The timing is bad..it is a long way away...costs too much to fly..it's on a Thursday...tickets start off at something like $125 each, etc.. But my wife and I were just talking about this last night, I think if the Dawgs were in the Orange Bowl, I think I'd still be finding a way to go, but it'd be just me and a couple of friends, not the family. Too bad they didn't have this game...well, all the BCS games really...played on the weekend instead of during the week.
BCS needs a lot of adjusting. Stretching the games out for a couple of extra weeks isn't a good economic idea.
tech fans not supporting their team how on earth is this news
Hey all those who are not interested in the Tech/Iowa Game tonight, U can always switch the TV to the S.C./U-Con Game Taped. Too see Stevey Boy cry again.
From what I was told today, any school who doesn't sell their allotment of bowl tickets has to buy them. I thought that worked for some bowls, but didn't know it applied to the BCS bowls. If it does, Tech is in trouble! 6500 seats is a boatload of cash for any school! I read earlier...and this is the truth, not some Tech-bashing stuff!...that Tech doesn't own/operate the "Ramblin' Wreck" car, and isn't paying to have it's iconic symbol sent down to Miami for the game! Instead, the group that does own the car had to petition to it's fans...and the Iowa fans...to donate money to be able to truck it down to Miami! Now, isn't that sad? I swear this is the truth and I'm not making it up. Any of you Tech fans hear about this...the ticket situation and the car issue?
You are correct about buying the tickets back. Some of the cost is offset by the Orange Bowl payback to the ACC which is then split amongst the other ACC schools.
This is not about fan loyalty; it is about timing.
I am a Tech season ticket holder. I went to all home games and sat in the rain at Charlottesville. I am not going to the Orange Bowl tonight for only one reason: the timing of the game. The only way for me to go in the middle of the week is to forecast going to the Orange Bowl and set aside 3 days of vacation just as everyone goes back to work and school after the holidays. If Tech doesn't make the Orange Bowl, then there is very little I can do except maybe go back to Michigan. It is cold there, but at least there is snow for skiing and snowmobiling. And I'm burning 3 days vacation in the middle of the winter. If the game was on New Year's Day as it used to be--I'd be there with bells on.
The way the game is going at halftime, it looks like the stay at home option was for sure the best call.
The only game that matters is the one on Thursday evening. ROLL TIDE ROLL!
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