Fiesta Facing Ticket Crunch By Randy York It's official - Christmas away from home doesn't slow the exodus of Nebraska football fans. Nebraska ticket manager Jim Pittenger confirmed Tuesday that the Cornhusker allotment of 8.200 seats for the Fiesta Bowl in Tempo, Ariz, Dec. 26, is sold out. "The ticket crunch has been surprising even to me," Pittenger admitted. "Nebraska fans have never been faced with spending Christmas away from home. I thought it might ease ' the demand. It didn't. "It appears from early tabulations that we were sold out the first two days (Nov 24 and 25) after the Oklahoma game." Pittenger said. Greater Crunch He added that "even though our supply for the Orange and Sugar Bowls were greater, the crunch for the Fiesta is just as " bad Actually, the crunch is worse than last year's Sugar Bowl because Pittenger returned about a thousand tickets from Nebraska's allotment of 14,500. At a Tuesday morning press conference in Lincoln, Fiesta Bowl officials indicated an alltime ticket demand high for the game, a sellout in each of its first four years. "The demand is tremendous," said Gene Sears, president of the Tempe Chamber of Commerce. "Technically, the game has been a sellout since last August. "Since the Fiesta Bowl has wound up with teams with the best combined record of all the bowls, the crunch is really on," he said. Holder Set As Starter pete. Switzer. whose No. 3 Sooners play Michigan vention in St. Louis. Kansas City, Mo. (UPI) - Big colleges may be forced to participate in a playoff system to decide the national championship if the major bowls don't do a better job of selecting teams. Nebraska coach Tom Osborne says. Osborne, in Kansas City Monday for a Big Eight coaches meeting, was disappointed because sixth-ranked Nebraska failed to receive a Major Bowl bid. The Cornhuskers were 10-1 and tied with Oklahoma for the conference championshup. The Huskers play Western Athletic Conference champion Arizona State in the Fiesta Bowl Dec. 26. "In the past I've personally been opposed to any sort of playoff," said Osborne, whose team would have gone to the Orange Bowl had it beaten Oklahoma. "But if the bowls don't do a better job, they may force us into playoffs." Osborne said while he didn't want to see college players exploited by extending the season into January. it might be better for the Big Eight to have national playoffs rather than having the conference wedded to a bowl. Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer and Colorado coach Bill Mallory disagreed with Osborne. Neither favored the much-discussed playoff system. Ohio State's Archie Heisman Trophy he has a matched set, collegian to win the < Scalping Request One Fiesta official heard that Nebraska fans have placed an ad in the Arizona State collegiate newspaper, offering $200 for tickets. He did not know how many tickets were included in the offer. Another Fiesta official noted that he had received a ticket request from a former Miss Nebraska, now living in Phoenix. Tempe's city manager joined the chorus. "My secretary has filled a yellow legal sized page with department heads and city officials wanting tickets, most of whom have never made such requests before,' Ken McDonald said. Fiesta brass are hoping the crunch on 51,388-seat Sun Devil Stadium eases in the future. Capacity will increase to 67,000 at the end of next football season and to 82,000 in a secondary building phase projected for completion in 1982. an AP WIREPHOTO Griffin is shown with the won last year. Now he becoming the first award twice. Osborne Sees Value In Playoff System In the Orange Bowl Jan. 1, said he didn't see how a playoff could work. "I truly believe the mechanics and logistics of a national championship playoff would be impossible," Switzer said. "I just don't see how it could occur." Mallory, whose 10th-ranked Buffaloes face Texas in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl Dec. 27, agreed and said the season was already long enough. "I can't get excited about playing any more other than maybe a bowl at the end of games the season," Mallory said. First-year Kansas Coach Bud Moore said he favored the idea of a playoff but would oppose anything that might hurt the bowls. "The bowls have been very good for college football," sand Moore, the Big Eight conference coach of the year. "But I'd be for a playoff situation if it could be worked out within the bowl structure." Moore's Jaynawks face Pittsburgh Dec. 26 in the Sun Bowl. He said that as a rookie coach, he hadn't had much time to look at the playoff proposals. "I've been too busy trying to win games," said Moore. The NCAA is expected to consider proposals for major college playoffs at its January con- Iowa City, Iowa - Nebraska head coach Joe Cipriano indicated he will start 6-3 junior college transfer Allen Holder for the first time when Nebraska faces Iowa Tuesday night. Cipriano said Holder will start in place of 6-7 junior Ricky Harris. Iowa coach Lute Olson said starting center Fred Haberecht suffered a strained knee and will not be able to com-