The number of tickets alloted to Ohio State may not cover the many fans wanting to follow the Buckeyes to the 2003 Fiesta Bowl.

The game, on Jan. 3 in Tempe, Ariz., will be played at Sun Devil Stadium which seats 75,000 fans. OSU accepted the bowl invitation after winning the game on Saturday and was given 16,000 tickets to distribute, said a spokeswoman from the Fiesta Bowl. She said the other team will be allotted the same amount.

According to Athletic Communications, bowl tickets will be divided among five groups: students, faculty and staff; the Presidents Club; the Buckeye Club; season-ticket-holders; and Varsity O Men’s Alumni Association. The office does not expect to have a public sale of tickets.

A planning committee works to make sure everyone involved is treated fairly when it comes to ticket allotment, said Virginia Trethewey, executive assistant to the president.

“There are also a number of smaller groups that have interests that fall under these groups, such as the band,” Trethewey said.

She said the committee tries to break up the university allotment in round numbers, and now that the Buckeyes are definitely heading to Tempe, things will be a lot more clear.

“We work very hard to give fair treatment to the various constituents,” Trethewey said.

The Office of Student Affairs can sell 1,000 packages to students and might resort to a lottery, said Don Stenta, associate director of the Ohio Union.

“We are now taking applications, and once we close the application process at noon tomorrow, we will determine whether or not we will have a lottery system,” Stenta said.

Matt Couch, assistant director of the Ohio Union, said given the demand of tickets so far 1,000 may not be enough.

Dennis Hoobler, assistant athletic director of development, said his office has about 1,400 to 1,500 tickets, but he is sure the demand will exceed supply. The Buckeye Club, which consists of donors to the athletic department, is not going to use a lottery system.

“Our tickets will be allotted based on a point system. This is based on the donor’s record of giving over the years,” Hoobler said.

So far the demand for tickets has been overwhelming, Hoobler said.