Haven't read this hole thread, but just a couple of thoughts on the general situation.
Fans are pulled in a lot of directions and money is tighter now than it was in recent memory, so it doesn't' surprise me.
However, to me this is just an indication that the AD probably has the stadium priced right. From the business side of things, almost selling out at a higher price point is probably better than selling out at a lower. There is an old pricing increase chart that shows the impact of % increases on prices and if that costs you x customers your revenue is still even. So considering we are approaching a sellout seems weird, to the AD it might just be in indication that the cost of the event is about spot on.
And let's not forget that it is harvest time, and that always slows attendance to games.
Sorry if all this is in here somewhere.