With the college football season nearing its end, all eyes are on the playoff rankings and the potential New Year’s Six match-ups. Week 11 rankings continue to solidify the likeliness that Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Michigan are semifinal bound by the end of year – leading many to book early entry for New Year’s games. Before you buy, see our breakdown of the potential 2018 college football playoffs and the impact they will have on ticket prices.
The NCAA is predicting an almost surefire Cotton Bowl meeting between current No. 4 Michigan and reigning national champs Alabama, along with a likely clash between No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. If you’re looking to score cheap tickets, the former may be the better option, with early average prices hovering around $260 compared to a $445 average for the latter.
National semifinal games have seen average ticket prices teeter over the past four years, with the most expensive ticket alternating depending on that year’s bracket. For Alabama, a place in the playoffs typically means a hotter ticket, as three of the past four semifinal games featuring Bama notched higher prices than their counterpart game. That could change should the Tide roll into the playoffs once more in a few weeks, with early ticket prices already showing a drop from last year and a significant difference from the game on the other side of the bracket.
Alabama diehards will also be happy to hear that the Crimson Tide have seen a steady decline in regular season ticket prices despite their historic dominance in both the SEC and the national playoffs. This season, the average ticket into Bryant-Denny Stadium cost roughly $140, a five-year low. Clemson and Michigan home games garnered similar averages, whereas the Fighting Irish racked up a staggering $238 average price per ticket this season.
Although the nearly $100 difference in team ticket prices may seem like a large discrepancy, historical data has shown that Notre Dame‘s always been on the higher end of the pricing spectrum. Their 2015 season brought average ticket prices of $265 and were projected to have some of the most expensive tickets prior to the start of this season, along with fellow playoff hopeful Ohio State.
While it may be too early to know who’ll make up the remainder of the New Year’s Six, preliminary ticket sales indicate that the Peach Bowl and perennial-favorite Rose Bowl games will have the most sought-after tickets at a current average of $266 and $425 apiece, respectively.
Will the 2018 college football playoffs turn out different from the current predictions? Let us know in the comments below and find tickets for all remaining games (including the 2018 college football playoffs) here.