Of the nearly 32 students who camped out Wednesday to snatch an unclaimed ticket for the Southeastern Conference Championship Game, nothing remained but empty soda cans, a pillow, and for some, a busted dream.
About 180 people packed the space between gates 12 and 13 of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Thursday.
Only 19 got tickets.
However, only about six of those who received a ticket staked out by the stadium a night in advance.
Some of the ticket-holder hopefuls, including Rachel Weston, a UF engineering senior, came to the ticketing office at about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday based on a first-come, first-serve policy she read on GatorZone.com.
Weston said her camp-out crew started a list detailing the order in which everyone arrived so they could present the list to University Athletic Association officials and ensure a fair distribution of unclaimed tickets. Weston was No. 18.
However, signs posted around 10 a.m. Thursday presented a different message: A lineup would only be honored at 5 p.m.
When about 100 more students arrived by 5 p.m., they refused to sign the list - signed by 88 students - generated by Weston's group because they would have agreed to a first-come, first-served policy and would have cut themselves from eligibility for a ticket.
Mark Masson, student ticket supervisor, said the list's order would have only been honored if 100 percent of the students signed.
Because of the disagreement, UAA officials decided to do a lottery.
"If they would just tell us clearly what we can and cannot do, we'll follow that," Weston said. "That's not the problem."
Other students were told by ticket office employees via telephone that no preference would be given to those arriving before 5 p.m. Thursday.
UF senior Zachary Summers arrived at about 4 p.m.
Summers said he called the ticket office multiple times this week to make sure students would receive no preference based on their time of arrival before 5 p.m., after reading on GatorZone.com that unclaimed tickets would be awarded simply on a first-come-first-served basis, he said.
Christina LaCanfora, graduate assistant for the ticket office, said UF has been cracking down on camp-outs for tickets. Signs posted around 10 a.m. Thursday told students that a lineup would be honored at 5 p.m.
University Police officers were brought in at about 4 p.m. to get the 180 students in a line.
Alligator Staff Writer Katie Sanders contributed to this report.
