An uproar is brewing among University of Oregon students—and it's all about getting a seat at Autzen Stadium. For years, watching the Ducks play live has been a rite of passage for students, but now, a brand-new ticket lottery system is sparking outrage, confusion, and even a formal petition to overhaul it. And here’s where things get heated — many seniors feel cheated out of their final season cheering with friends.
Senior student Maya Valverde, like thousands of her peers, had been looking forward to watching the third-ranked Oregon Ducks dominate the field this fall. But for the first time in her college career, that excitement turned into frustration when she discovered she hadn’t received a student ticket to Saturday’s top-10 matchup against No. 7 Indiana. Despite her commitment as a long-time attendee and paying fan, the lottery system had left her on the sidelines.
“It’s disappointing,” Valverde admitted. “A lot of my friends got in, but there’s nothing I can do. I can’t even sit with them.” Instead of a seat with her classmates in the student section, she was offered a standing-room-only pass — a small consolation that she insists just isn’t the same. To her, missing out on the student section isn’t only about the view; it’s about losing part of the college experience itself.
Valverde didn’t keep her frustration to herself. Like many other disgruntled Ducks fans, she joined forces with peers to start a petition demanding change to what they call an unfair distribution system. The petition quickly gained traction, surpassing 2,800 verified signatures by Thursday morning — and counting.
So, what exactly triggered all this frustration? The university replaced its previous first-come, first-served ticket process with a lottery system this fall. Under the old method, students who purchased the $175 Duck Sports Pass could log in every Sunday at 11 a.m. to grab tickets for the upcoming game. It was a race against time — and the fastest clickers won. Some students complained that system favored those with flexible schedules or faster internet connections, leading to long wait times and lost chances.
Trying to create a fairer solution, Oregon’s athletic department shifted to a randomized lottery via the GoDucks app. Students submit requests between Friday and Sunday; if demand exceeds available tickets, an automated draw decides the winners. For the 2025–26 season, 10,000 students purchased Duck Sports Passes — more than the 7,500 football tickets available for each game.
But here’s the crux of the issue: the process doesn’t account for class standing. Seniors like Valverde argue that they’ve spent years supporting the team and deserve a higher chance of getting tickets. The petition calls for a weighted lottery that prioritizes seniors, then juniors, and so on. Valverde passionately believes that fairness should include recognizing seniority. “This is our last year,” she said. “We don’t have another shot to experience this as students — and that’s what hurts the most.”
Her friend and fellow senior, Jaymie Beers, was lucky enough to win a ticket for the Indiana game but still finds the system fundamentally flawed. “If you pay for a sports pass, you should be guaranteed entry,” she said. “College sports are about community. Without the students, it’s just another football game.”
Currently, the Duck Sports Pass covers football along with men’s and women’s basketball, while other sports remain free for student admission. Oregon’s approach isn’t unique — universities across the country use varying systems. The University of Washington sells Dawg Pack season passes for $210, using a first-come, first-served format for its 8,000 student tickets. Washington State University charges $299 and also relies on early access, though its games rarely sell out. Penn State, on the other hand, uses a class-based lottery similar to the system Oregon students are now calling for.
Notably, Oregon’s first two home games against Montana State and Oklahoma State went smoothly since most students weren’t yet back for the fall quarter. But once the rivalry game against Oregon State rolled around in late September — right as students returned — competition for spots exploded, and many seniors again found themselves left out.
Oregon Athletics spokesperson Jimmy Stanton insists that everyone in the system was at least offered a standing-room-only ticket for popular games like Indiana and Oregon State. Still, students say that’s no replacement for the electric student section experience Autzen Stadium is famous for. Valverde and Beers now want the school to either adjust the system or expand the student section to meet demand.
“We put in our own money,” Valverde said, “and we expected to be there, part of that energy we’ve supported for years. Right now, it feels like they betrayed that trust.” Another frustration among students is that many only learned of the new lottery system in August — months after purchasing the sports pass. Some even claim tickets are being resold despite school policy forbidding it. Stanton confirmed the university monitors for such violations but admitted it’s difficult to enforce.
With just a handful of home games remaining, seniors like Valverde must now rely on luck — and maybe a little school spirit — to secure a seat for the Oct. 25 matchup against Wisconsin. “The energy at Autzen is like nothing else,” she said. “That’s what makes Oregon special, and it’s something we’ll never forget.”
But here’s where the real debate begins: Should senior students, who’ve invested more time and money in the program, actually get priority? Or is a completely random lottery the fairest way? Share your thoughts below — do you stand with Maya Valverde and her petition, or with the university’s push for equality through randomness?
