The obvious reaction to a magical Orange Bowl berth, a quarterback in Jordan Lynch who finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting back and interest in the program at an all-time high would be to cash in on the momentum.
Northern Illinois announced it has changed the pricing of some of its season tickets, which is predictable. The surprising part is NIU is lowering the price of those tickets.
Northern Illinois is now selling season tickets as low as $50 with $50 in parking and concessions coupons. NIU is also giving all season-ticket holders a free ticket to a postseason game, whether it's the MAC championship game (should NIU get there again) or a bowl game. Season-ticket holders also get two free tickets to a MAC road game of their choosing, which is a conference initiative.
[Also: Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel returns with a target on his back]
This comes after NIU was one of the biggest stories in college football a few months ago, when it won the MAC championship and snuck into the BCS, the biggest moment in the program's history.
Of course, NIU is in a different spot than most schools which would bump up season ticket costs. Northern Illinois averaged just 15,670 for home games last year. This isn't like LSU or Alabama feeling the need to fill the stadium. So it's not like NIU is just being charitable. It has its long-term marketing hat on here. The school is just taking advantage of its big season in a different way, hoping to draw new customers, which is a smart plan for the future.
No matter the motive, it is kind of refreshing to see someone not milking a successful season for a quick buck out of its fans.
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