Sugar Bowl organizers are disappointed that Auburn-Oklahoma is not proving to be as strong a draw as last year’s matchup of Ole Miss-Oklahoma State or the 2014 Alabama-Ohio State playoff semifinal, both of which were sellouts.

“We view this as a marquee matchup,” Sugar Bowl chief operating officer Jeff Hundley told Michael Niziolek of The Ledger-Enquirer. “These are brand-name teams with brand-name coaches. They are programs with rich histories.”

Despite that marquee matchup, ticket sales have been sluggish with neither school having sold its allotment of 15,000. Team spokespeople told Niziolek that Auburn has 2,700 tickets remaining while Oklahoma has 5,700 tickets left.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised,” Hundley said. He attributed the slow ticket sales to the challenges of not being a playoff game.

“This is a sign of the times. All of us in the bowl industry are working hard to be creative to move tickets with all the focus on semifinals and college football playoff.”

This year’s Sugar Bowl is set for Jan. 2 with a kickoff of 7:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.