Matt Gentry | The Roanoke Times

Virginia Tech football fans, Joseph Morrissette, (left) of Burkeville, Va., and Duncan Quicke of Blackstone, Va., watch Saturday's Virginia-Virginia Tech game. Neither will attend the title game ACC championship game Saturday, but because of scheduling conflicts, not the economy.

There could be plenty of empty seats at Raymond James Stadium when Virginia Tech and Boston College square off for the ACC title Saturday.

Tech was obligated to pay the Tampa Bay Sports Commission for 10,000 tickets to the game but has only sold about 3,000 of them.

Virginia Tech assistant athletic director Sandy Smith said Tuesday that ticket sales have been slower than last year, when the game was held in Jacksonville, Fla.

Sales "are not as good as we would like," Smith said. "All the ticket people throughout the conference looked at it -- even the ones [at schools] in Florida -- as being, because of the economy, a tough sell."

Many Tech fans interviewed at last weekend's win over Virginia said they would not be attending the title game in Tampa and would instead save their money for the upcoming bowl game.

"The economy's too bad," Bob Rue of Richmond said. "Bowl games are more fun -- a lot more stuff to do."

Tech will likely take an even bigger financial bath on ticket sales to the game than it did last year. Tech sold most of its allotment of 10,000 tickets last year but still finished $203,000 in the red, according to school officials.

Tech's 2005 title-game appearance also was in Jacksonville. Some Tech fans said last weekend that while they were able to drive to Jacksonville, it would be too costly to fly to Tampa because they had less than a week to book a flight.

Tech didn't clinch the Coastal Division berth in the title game until last weekend.

"Just about everybody has to take a flight, and there's not much time," Smith said.

Ticket prices for non-Tech students range from $45 to $120; one does not need to be a Hokie Club member to buy a ticket from the Tech ticket office. ACC associate commissioner Michael Kelly said ticket prices are lower than last year.

"If they can spare another 2¹₂ hours to drive further than they did to Jacksonville, they can get to Tampa," Kelly said.

Bryan and Sarah Garbett of Richmond have driven to Jacksonville for Tech's two previous title games but won't be going to Tampa.

It's too far to drive, they said, and they can only afford to fly to one game. So they are choosing to fly to a bowl.

"You've got the holidays coming up, too, so you've got to think about that," Bryan Garbett said.

If Tech wins Saturday, it will play in the Orange Bowl in Miami. If Tech loses, it might wind up in the Champ Sports Bowl in Orlando, Fla.

John Fuka of Clifton said if he does fly to a game this year, it will be to the title game, not a bowl. Tech has lost four of its last five bowl games, so he will skip the bowl this time.

"I went to the Orange Bowl last year and I was very disappointed. The effort [by the team] was not there," he said. "I wanted to go down there and watch them win a game.

"I've got two kids in college, ... and you've got to make tougher choices this year. A title game, I know the effort's going to be there."

Some fans said they will go to both the title game and a bowl game.

"We're supporting the Hokies all the way," Jay Alspaugh of Suffolk said. "You scratch and you scrimp and you do what it takes to see the Hokies."

For the title game, each school has to buy 10,000 tickets. The ACC office pays for another 2,000 tickets, which it gives to the league's sponsors. The rest are put up for sale to fans in the host city.

About 30,000 tickets have been sold in Tampa for the game at 65,837-seat Raymond James Stadium, said Kelly.

A total of 53,312 tickets were sold to last year's game at 77,497-seat Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, including the 22,000 sold to Tech, BC and the ACC office. The stadium was only about half full for Tech's win.

In search of better attendance, the ACC moved the game to Tampa for this year and 2009. The 2010 and 2011 games will be held in Charlotte, N.C.

"I'd probably go if it was Charlotte," said Allen Williams of Christiansburg, who won't be going to Tampa but might go to a bowl.

Tech might not be able to sell as many bowl tickets this year as it usually does. Fans might not be enthused by a potential Orange Bowl duel with Cincinnati.

Flight costs could also be a hindrance, with airlines cutting back on the number of flights to many cities.

"I'm not sure [about a bowl], with the economy," said Chuck Lee of Blacksburg, who won't be going to Tampa, either. "Maybe I'm a little bit bowl-tired-out."

Dean Bandy of Roanoke won't be going to Tampa or a bowl because of travel costs.

"Everything's expensive," he said. "It's Christmas time. Everybody's cutting back; I'm one of those people."