THE SCOOP
Anyone who holds a counterfeit or stolen ticket will be denied access to the SEC Championship game at the Georgia Dome. Gametime is 4 p.m. Saturday. There are no PDF or paper tickets.
There will be a “Ticket Validation Window” at the main box office of the Georgia Dome beginning at 10 a.m., if anyone wishes to check tickets bought on the secondary market.
Look for the authentic SEC holographic foil on several locations of the tickets. Two strips of the foil are located at the top of the ticket. The championship-game logo in the middle of the ticket also contains the foil. Within the foil, the SEC circle logo and the words “Southeastern Conference” should be visible to the eye when rotating the ticket back and forth.
As for counterfeit merchandise, it is subject to seizure, and local law enforcement will be on the prowl.
What to look for:
- All officially licensed merchandise should display the "Officially Licensed Collegiate Product" hologram.
- The merchandise should depict the Auburn, Missouri, or SEC logos and trademarks in a tasteful manner.
- The tag on the garment should be intact.
- All merchandise should bear the name of the manufacturer, either in the form of a hang tag, a neck label, or screen-printed directly on the garment.
- All merchandise should have the appropriate trademark designations (TM) next to a specific name or design.
SABAN UPDATE
University of Texas President Bill Powers told the Austin American-Statesman that the school has not reached out to Alabama’s Nick Saban and no decision has been made on the future of Longhorns coach Mack Brown — or even a decision on whether any decision must be made.
“We don’t have an answer” to those questions, Powers said. “Mack’s our coach. I haven’t talked to him about the future. Nothing has happened. The team and he are concentrating on the Baylor game.” Asked if Brown has told Powers that he wants to stay at Texas beyond his 16th season, Powers said, “That’s for Mack to decide. I think he would (tell me).” Houston attorney Joe Jamail, one of Texas’ biggest benefactors and Brown’s personal friend and attorney, told the American-Statesman that Brown could decide to leave or stay, but won’t reach his decision until the regular season is over. Jamail said Brown isn’t leaning one way or the other.
Brown’s contract, which pays him $5.4 million, runs through 2020.
The outcome of the Texas-Baylor game could well influence Brown’s choice. Texas (8-3) faces Baylor (10-1) in Waco with the winner guaranteed to have no worse than a share of the Big 12 title. If Oklahoma upsets Oklahoma State, the Texas-Baylor winner wins the league outright.
“I’ve never met Nick Saban. I’ve never talked to Nick Saban. We have not hired Nick Saban,” Powers said. “Mack’s our coach, and I can say flatly that the rumors we have hired or come to an agreement with Nick Saban or even talked to him are false.”
About the Author
