The Facts: 12,935 students requested tickets to Thursday’s football game against USC. Only 7,950 of those students were accommodated with student seating at the game — many juniors and seniors did not receive tickets despite their higher theoretical status in the points system.

Our Opinion: The ticketing system received a few beneficial changes over the last several years. The group system is fundamentally flawed though — the University has a lot more work to do.

Almost 13,000 students requested tickets for the football game against the University of South Carolina on Friday.

This is good news — N.C. State football hasn’t had this much anticipation since the 2004 season. Fans, alumni and students alike are getting excited and expect great things out of the Wolfpack.

The unfortunate side of having so many energized fans is the logistics of getting them into the game. Approximately 38 percent of students who requested tickets for the game did not receive them.

The student ticketing experience at football games has improved over the last few years but is definitely deficient in certain areas.

The maximum group capacity was increased from 25 to 99 students this year. What was the rationale for increasing these sizes? Students no longer receive a section assignment when they apply for tickets, therefore groups do not really have a legitimate concern over section seating.

In general, the group system seems to reward freshman and sophomores who register under an older student’s unity login — it provides no benefit for the University’s senior and junior students, who should theoretically receive preferential treatment under the points system.

The solution to this paradigm is simple — make a group’s point grade the average of that of its members. For instance, a group with three members (including the leader) whose members’ respective points totals are one, one and four, would be given a total weight of two, not four (assuming the student with the most points is the leader).

If the ticketing system really wanted to bring in an era of fairness, it would consider abolishing groups altogether. Students who have “paid their dues” and shown loyalty to the Wolfpack during their collegiate careers would be rewarded with tickets to the “good games” (the Carolina game) during their senior and junior year.

The least the system owes its students is a very detailed, easy to understand, explanation of the ticketing process and the tools required to “play the game.” Students who have stood through the elements in support of the Wolfpack should not be left out in the cold due to a few students’ knowledge and mastery of the system’s tricks.