Super Bowl 2012 Tickets: Avoiding a Repeat of Dallas

It was the ultimate letdown for more than 3,000 fans at last year's Super Bowl: They arrived on game day to discover their seats were not ready or deemed unsafe. About 500 wound up without a seat at all. That's not likely to happen in Indianapolis. The NFL and host city have taken special measures to prevent a similar fiasco for ticket holders to the 2012 Super Bowl. Lucas Oil Stadium will use less temporary seating, most of which has been used for prior events, and ensure the seats are installed and approved well in advance of game day. The stadium's regular staff of ushers will direct fans since they are most familiar with the venue's layout.

Super Bowl in Indianapolis: Have a ticket, have a seat

Fans denied seats at last year's Super Bowl will be among the roughly 63,000 people watching the big game on Feb. 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The league offered them refunds for their tickets and travel, along with tickets and accommodations for this year's game. The stadium hosts about 63,000 people for regular season Colts games and will host roughly the same total for the Super Bowl. Some extra seating is planned for a plaza area where Lucas Oil displays drag-racing replicas, along with upper level areas in the end zones.

How to buy Super Bowl 2012 tickets

Fans can buy tickets to the big game from a handful of online ticket marketplaces that have relationships with teams and sponsors. At the moment, tickets are being sold (buy now) within certain zones in the stadium, rather than specific rows and seats, until the game nears and the NFL allocates paper tickets. It's worth noting that buying a more expensive ticket within a zone does not guarantee a better seat within that zone. Another word of caution: Ticket prices may seem high now but they could go higher as it becomes clearer which teams are in the hunt.

How much you should expect to pay for 2012 Superbowl tickets

At the moment, tickets are for sale from about $2,000 to $6,000 apiece depending on the location within Lucas Oil Stadium, but the prices are expected to fluctuate widely in the next few weeks as the playoffs shape up. The teams on the field ultimately will determine the cost of tickets. Prices will rise if a team with a rabid fan base that travels well, such as the Green Bay Packers or Pittsburgh Steelers, makes it to the Super Bowl. Story lines matter, too. Tickets likely would jump in price in the event Tim Tebow leads the Denver Broncos to the big game.