While the rest of the university is working to make the transition to semesters academically, the Ohio State Department of Athletics has its own issue to deal with.
On the quarter system, student ticket packages for OSU football don’t include the first few home games before Autumn Quarter begins. Those tickets are sold separately, and high-demand games such as the game against University of Southern California last season often draw high revenue.
On the semester system, though, the autumn term would begin Aug. 22 — a week and a half before the first football game — and if the athletic department goes by their previous standard, all home games will be included in the student ticket package.
But if that’s the case, the athletic department stands to lose revenue, as student tickets typically cost less than tickets available to the public. Two much-anticipated games early in the 2012 season — against University of Cincinnati and the University of California — only make the issue more serious, though officials don’t know how much revenue OSU could lose.
Officials from the athletic department acknowledged the issue, but said there has not yet been a “thorough discussion” on the issue, and declined further comment.
