Bob Walsh is hoping a week of good fortune will make up for 2 ½ years of bad luck.

If not, his idea to bring next Saturday's Washington-Air Force game to Qwest Field could result in the lowest-attended Huskies game in Seattle in at least 28 years.

The last time Washington had a crowd of under 40,000 for a game in Seattle was 1977, when 36,489 showed up to see the Huskies play San Jose State. That was the second game of Don James' third season, which culminated with a Rose Bowl win and the turnaround of the UW program.

Right now, that might be a good number for Saturday's game.

Walsh, the promoter whose company made the deal to bring the game here — it was originally scheduled to be played at Air Force in Colorado Springs, Colo. — said yesterday that around 19,000-20,000 tickets have been sold.

But he said he's hoping for a late rush of sales to potentially double that number.

"I think there will be 40,000," he said.

That's a far cry from what he expected when he began negotiations to bring the game here in the spring of 2003.

"Two-and-a-half years ago, I would have said it would be a sellout [meaning 64,000]," he said.

That, however, was when Rick Neuheisel was still coach and UW was still a Top 20 program. But one scandal, two coaches and a lot of losses in the interim have dimmed the luster of the game, even if it marks the debut of Tyrone Willingham as UW's coach.

Asked if he'd still do it if he knew all that would happen, Walsh said, "I think so. I think so. The people that will be there will see a fantastic show."

Walsh said he thinks that latter aspect has gotten somewhat overlooked — that there is more than a football game involved. Walsh said he got the idea to move the game here after failing to bring the Army-Navy rivalry to Seattle.

A game involving a military academy, he said, is different than the average football game, which he said he thought would prove an attraction in Seattle. Among non-game events scheduled are an Eagle F-15 fly-over, a delivery of the game ball by the USAFA Wings of Blue parachute team, and a halftime ceremony in which roughly 50 local residents will be enlisted into the Air Force.

But people apparently have been turned off by UW's struggles and ticket prices higher than those at Husky Stadium.

Prices range from $25-$80 — UW's prices range from $24-$64 depending on the opponent. Walsh defends the prices, saying they are essentially what it would cost to attend a UW home game if donations for season tickets is factored in.

Interestingly, he said the highest-priced tickets have sold the best, indicating that the most devoted fans are turning out.

A military discount was recently added as well as discounted group sales and $25 tickets for UW students. But Walsh said there will be no overall discount, no last-minute half-off sale in an attempt to move tickets. "We want to be fair to the people who have stepped up to buy tickets," Walsh said.

UW officials have expressed disappointment that ticket sales aren't better but point out that it doesn't affect them financially.

UW signed a contract to play the game at Air Force in 1997 as part of the deal that brought Air Force to Husky Stadium in 1999. The Huskies received a guarantee of $275,000, which didn't change once Walsh got involved. Otherwise, UW has no financial involvement in the game.

Walsh has never divulged what he agreed to pay Air Force to move the game and said yesterday that number could change based on final ticket sales in an attempt to make sure no one gets hurt too much financially.

"We're talking to them every day trying to work it out so that everyone's fine," Walsh said. "Air Force's main goal to come up here was for the exposure and recruitment reasons, and they thought it would be exciting to play at Qwest Field."

Air Force spokesman Troy Garnhart said recently that while a diminished crowd "would be disappointing, it's still worth it for us to showcase our academy and play [in Seattle]."

That showcase potential is one reason Air Force resisted opportunities to play the game on Thursday night — and moving it away from Labor Day weekend when people have lots of recreational options — which UW officials think might have meant better ticket sales.

Notes

• Washington has sold 46,769 season tickets to the general public this season, about 90 percent of last year's total to date.

• UW has sold 8,329 through its ticket office for the Air Force game. Air Force was given 500 tickets and sold its allotment.

• For what it's worth, WSU has sold about 31,000 tickets for its game against Grambling at Qwest Field on Sept. 17.

• Willingham met the media yesterday after the team held a "mock game" — a no-pads workout designed mostly for coaches to get used to working the phones on game day, etc. — and reported no changes in injury status of players or on the depth chart.

In other words, no new news on the quarterback front.

Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or bcondotta@seattletimes.com