SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING Click county for more information: Cherokee, Muskogee, Wagoner         SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT Click county for more information: Cherokee, Muskogee, Okfuskee, Wagoner        

When Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder announced a month ago fans would need a season ticket to attend Bedlam football some called it a stroke of genius. Others predicted it was a gamble that would blow up in his face.

Early reports are OSU is ahead of last year's season ticket pace. But trying to make a projection now is like projecting who will be the Presidential candidates after the Iowa Caucus.

"So far, it's gone really well,” said Craig Bauman, OSU assistant ticket manager. "We've seen a lot of interest. We've sold a fairly decent amount of new tickets. There's seems to be a lot of excitement generated. But it's really early.”

Will Holder's gamble enable OSU to sell 40,000 season tickets for the first time?

"Based on what we did early last year we're definitely ahead of where we were,” Bauman said. "You don't have as much firm data right now because you're still waiting on renewals. But there's definitely been more excitement.”

Regardless of the final season ticket count, the re-opening of the renovated, expanded west end zone has some OSU fans contemplating a variety of options. Tickets in the Fun Zone are a hot item.

Some fans have requested moving from the north or south stands to save money in the west end zone. Other fans are upgrading their seats and will make a donation for the first time to move into higher priced seats.

"I anticipate a lot of movement this year,” Bauman said. "There will be a lot of opportunities, whether that's moving closer to the 50, buying a ticket in the west end zone or moving a few yards closer to mid-field.”

How many of the new season ticket holders are OU fans who want to be assured a seat for the Nov. 29 game?

"That will be almost impossible to track,” Bauman said. "If it was a Kansas or Texas you would know. But if it's someone from Edmond, Oklahoma City, Guthrie or Tulsa, they could be Sooner fans or our fans. You just don't know.”

OSU fans must renew season tickets by May 1. Once all renewals have been calculated, all season ticket holders, including new season ticket holders, will be assigned specific seat locations by late May.

Capacity at Boone Pickens Stadium increases to 60,000 with 17,000 new seats in the west end zone.

Bauman said ticket sales "go up exponentially” in July and August.

"If you buy in March, April and May you get better seats,” Bauman said. "If you wait until July, the people in May more than likely will have better seats.”

The key variable to possibly selling 40,000 season tickets is how many student season tickets are sold. It was announced last week football and men's basketball student season tickets will be sold separately.

The all-time record for football student season tickets is 11,500. Last year around 9,000 were sold.

"Students will be the biggest factor on whether we get (40,000),” Bauman said. "The year we had 11,500 we had to turn people away because we didn't have any more seats in the student section. With the west end zone, that won't be a problem this year.”

As for the exact final total of season tickets sold, that number won't be known until after OSU's third home game in late September.

"Last year's number didn't climb substantially until August,” Bauman said. "We saw a huge jump the last few weeks of July and throughout August. There just aren't enough hard facts right now.”