COLUMBUS Fiesta officials have Ohio ties, but 13-0 record is the magic

Tickets for the bowl will be hard to come by for most fans, unless they are students, employees or donors.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- The two Fiesta Bowl officers who invited Ohio State to play for the national championship couldn't help but feel a little partisan.
Bowl president John Junker grew up in the Akron area and attended Buckeyes' games in Ohio Stadium as a boy. And Stan Laybourne, the bowl's chief financial official, grew up in the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington and graduated from Ohio State in 1971.
"It's a great thing to host any undefeated team, but when it's your home state, it's really a special occasion," Junker said Monday during a news conference on campus about the game.
Loyalties temporary
But he was quick to add that as soon as Ohio State's opponent is determined, he and other bowl officials will put their loyalties aside.
Junker and Laybourne officially extended the invitation for the game in the locker room after the Buckeyes (13-0) beat Michigan 14-9 Saturday to clinch a share of the Big Ten title and an undefeated regular season.
Ohio State is the first Big Ten team to play for the national championship under the Bowl Championship Series.
Miami (10-0) would play Ohio State if it wins its final two games, giving the Fiesta Bowl -- on Jan. 3 in Tempe, Ariz. -- two undefeated teams.
Miami is ranked No. 1 and Ohio State is No. 2 in this week's AP Top 25 poll.
"It's a dream come true for any bowl game," Junker said of the possible matchup. "That offers great clarity in the national championship picture."
The invitation came even though the football season is not finished.
"With an Ohio State victory, no one in America can figure out statistically ... how Ohio State could not be considered one of the best teams in the nation," Junker said.
Tickets and revenue
Tickets for the bowl will be hard to come by for most fans, unless they are students, university employees or donors of at least $2,500. The university has an allotment of 16,000 tickets and anticipates no public sale, said Richelle Simonson, an associate athletic director.
The university will use a lottery to distribute most of the $155 tickets for the game at Sun Devil Stadium, which has a capacity of 75,000.
Each team in the game will get $13 million. Of that amount, Ohio State can spend $1.65 million on expenses for the trip and the rest will be distributed evenly among all Big Ten teams and the league office.