The time has come again. The yearly late June ritual of sweating it out on Ticketmaster for the chance to spend $218 on seven football tickets is upon us.

The night before football tickets go on sale can often be one of nerves and little sleep. Set alarms, be prepared with all of the information, and hope that nothing goes wrong. As has been discussed in terms of other events in addition to football tickets, Ticketmaster is not a perfect process. Below, we’ll attempt to make it a little less daunting with some reminders from GoPSUSports and tips of our own:

General Information

• The sale begins on Monday at 7 a.m. for seniors. The sale can remain open until 2 p.m. but could close early if all tickets are sold out.
• The above process repeats on Tuesday and Wednesday for juniors and sophomores respectively. Same 7 a.m. start time.
• The freshman sale will take place Thursday night beginning at 8 p.m.
• The sale for graduate students is on Friday and begins at 7 a.m.
• Season tickets are $218 and are automatically loaded on to your Penn State ID card. For a scientific breakdown of the pricing, click here. (Paper tickets with a specific seat assignment are given out after entering the stadium.)
• Student season ticket holders may sell or forward up to four games on the Student Ticket Exchange. The price can be set by the student but must range between $10 and $60. This is the only way to sell tickets.

Day of Sale Ticketmaster Instructions

• Login to the Ticketmaster sale site by clicking here.
• Choose an event; we suggest you begin with Football.
• Enter your 9-digit Penn State Student ID#. Click find tickets.
• Enter the verification code (combination of random letters and numbers). Click continue.
• As you move through the selection and billing process, please note that there are time limits on the different screens.
• A successful sale will result in a confirming order number followed by an email confirmation to the email registered in the Ticketmaster® purchase account. If you do not receive a confirmation number after your sale, your purchase may not have been successful. Call 1-800 NITTANY.

Technology Tips 

• Use Internet Explorer 8 X or Firefox 3.5 or higher.
• To make the season ticket purchase, you must have a Ticketmaster® Account. You can create or update your Ticketmaster account by clicking here. You will use this account for the original purchase andnot for future ticket management during the season.
• Students must use a U.S. issued credit card to set up the Ticketmaster® account.
• Don’t use multiple browsers, refresh, or use the back button during the sale.
• Don’t use Safari, Opera or Chrome.

Our Tips 

• Give yourself some extra time to prepare in case of computer problems.
• Have a friend on speed dial. If something goes wrong, they can back you up and complete the process for you with your information.
• As stated above, there are time limits on certain pages. It helps to create a Ticketmaster account in advance and enter all of the billing information. This will save some time and limit stress.
• Along with football tickets, there is the opportunity to purchase basketball season tickets ($40), the Official White Out shirt ($25), and a student Nittany Lion Club Membership ($25). My advice: Don’t buy them here. This is not a knock on the offerings, but there are plenty of other opportunities and events to purchase all three of these things. Get your tickets and get out.
• As ridiculous as those browser requirements sound (Seriously, ANGEL would be proud) follow them.
• At one point during the sale, you will be asked to enter a password. Remember that it is your 9 digit PSU ID number at the bottom of your ID. This has tripped some people up in the past. Don’t let it happen to you.
• At one point during the sale, there will likely be a drop down menu for Ticket Quantity and Seat Location. Click 1 and General Admission respectively.
• Speaking of General Admission, your confirmation  page will likely say GA on it. Don’t be that guy frantically trying to figure out where Section GA is in Beaver Stadium.
• You should have already received an email to your webmail account saying what class you are with your corresponding day. Semester classification is determined by the number of credits earned. Be mindful and double check this. That biology class you late dropped last semester could change the day you buy tickets.
• Your first attempt may result in some type of error occurring. Try not to panic. It’s likely Ticketmaster just being Ticketmaster. Go through the process again.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I have never met a single person who wanted tickets, was online at the beginning of the sale, and did not get them. One of my friends last year even woke up at 8:45 a.m. and still got tickets. While I do not recommend that, it should ease some concerns. Follow the steps. Get your tickets. Tell the world on Facebook and Twitter that you got your tickets. Go back to sleep.

Most importantly, remember that if you can wake up at 7 a.m. or plan your night around a ticket sale, you have no excuse not to be in Beaver Stadium before a noon kickoff against Ohio on September 1st.