Bulls-Bearcats a hot ticket in Tampa

Jeffrey Fox, official University of South Florida merchandiser and unofficial first-team All-Big East fan, says tonight will be about a jam-packed stadium, big plays and the No. 21-ranked Bulls' path to national prominence.

USF officials expect a crowd of more than 60,000 at 65,857-seat Raymond James Stadium, with an additional 1,500 student-ticket demand beyond the normal 12,501 allotment.

The university has aggressively marketed the marquee game with standard prices among the lowest in the nation - upper-deck sideline seats at $35 and upper-deck corner seats at $10 remained available Wednesday night on Ticketmaster.com.

USF has done its best to hype the event this week, with a billboard near downtown, breakfast gatherings with area businesses, and appearances by the school's cheerleaders and mascot. Even the SunTrust Financial Centre obelisk is animated in USF green and gold today.

However, Fox won't need a ticket for the game against the No. 8 Cincinnati Bearcats.

The 1975 USF alumnus and owner of the Bulls Heaven and BullsHeaven.com merchandise outlets will rely on a sideline pass while supervising 10 concession stands and 50 employees.

Fox should have plenty of business with thousands in the stands.

"There's as much excitement this year as there has been for our big games in the past," Fox said, referring to games against Kansas in September 2008 and West Virginia and Central Florida in 2007.

Despite this season's 5-0 start, including a win in the Bulls' first game against Florida State, tonight's nationally televised game presented challenges to the Bulls' marketing team.

Season ticket sales are down about 12 percent to 24,185. The Bulls focus on a family audience along with USF students and must overcome a late game before a Friday work and school day, said Bill McGillis, USF executive associate athletic director.

"A lot of fans are facing the most challenging economic times of their lives," he said.

But the Bulls have sold 2,000 of their mini plan packages in the past three weeks. Those offer three of four remaining home games against Cincinnati, Louisville, West Virginia and Miami from $50 to $75.