UCF fans camp out in the rain for tickets to the Fiesta Bowl

ORLANDO, Fla. (FOX 35 WOFL) - University of Central Florida students cheered as the student box office opened Tuesday for the Fiesta Bowl. The first 200 people in line got free tickets to the game.

“It feels amazing,” said Cristian Rivera-Tapia, who received a free ticket. He camped out for nearly two days in the rain with a group of 15 people in order to get tickets. “We got to show up for our school. The boys who play our football game go through a lot worse than we do.”

Dozens of students slept in tents while the rain poured down early Tuesday morning. Megan McCarthy and her friend got soaked when the rain seeped through their tent.

“We thought the tent might collapse,” McCarthy said. “We figured it was going to rain at some point just by checking the radar but then we got an alert at about 12:20 so we just ran in the tent and hoped for the best.”

Paula Ortegon said sleeping in the rain was worth it to get a free ticket to the Fiesta Bowl. Ortegon said, “I can’t wait. I just want to be in Arizona, be on the road.” She plans on making the 28 hour drive to Arizona with friends. “We’re going to make it about two days and honestly it’s just stopping along the ride and getting to [do] fun things.”

Three hundred students were able to buy Fiesta Bowl tickets for $50.

The UCF Knights will play the Louisiana State University Tigers on New Year’s Day.