Big 12 Football: Possibility of OU eliminating student tickets

The Big 12 Football conference could see reduced seating from this point on at one of their biggest stadiums, with the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners program is usually one of the headliners in the news cycle for the Big 12 football conference on any given year, at any given time. They are much like the Texas football program in that sense. But Oklahoma was in the news releasing new protocols for their home games, in the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic, for a few of the wrong reasons.

On Sep. 18, an official press release from the University of Oklahoma athletic department announced some new gameday protocols for the student seating at home games in Norman for the remainder of this season. Oklahoma looked to have run into some trouble in their season opening win over the FCS Missouri State Bears in their student section.

Here’s the key points from this official release from Oklahoma earlier this week.

"The changes are the result of meetings amongst university officials and student leaders following the disappointing behaviors by some at the season’s first game.New measures include:Explicit designation of seating sections on student tickets to eliminate any previous confusion about the proper location for student attendeesClearer concourse signage at the entry ramps for the student sectionsEstablishment of student seating clusters in groups of 2 to 10Clearly delineated prohibited seating sections marked by flagging tapeSecurity personnel will also be significantly increased throughout the student section to provide direction, monitor locations and provide support. Staff will work with game attendees in an effort to achieve compliance with seating and masking requirements. Attendees who do not cooperate are subject to removal from the stadium and may have future game attendance privileges revoked.Aside from the steps that are being implemented, the university is considering the possibility of a reduction or elimination of student tickets and seating. Those steps have been tabled pending an evaluation of the new measures that will be implemented for the upcoming game."

There is apparently the “possibility of a reduction or elimination of student tickets and seating” if the new measure aren’t effective at keeping to the COVID-19 protocol at the remainder of their home games this fall.

More COVID-19 news came about from Oklahoma in regards to their student seating policy this fall after they already came up “shorthanded” in their season opener on Sep. 12 against Missouri State. Head coach Lincoln Riley was without a few of his players at least in Oklahoma’s 48-point win over the Bears last weekend.

Riley and the Sooners still easily took care of business against Missouri State, despite missing apparently quite a few of their players due to COVID-19 positive tests, suspensions, and injuries, among other things contributing.

Up next for Oklahoma is their Big 12 opener on Sep. 26 at home in Norman against the Kansas State Wildcats. Meanwhile, Texas opens up their Big 12 slate on Sep. 26 on the road against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.