234 days will have passed between the day Ohio State Buckeyes were crowned champions of the college football world in January, and the kickoff of the new college football season on Sept. 3, 2015. College football fans are in the home stretch of the offseason, with less than 70 days to go until the season starts — and one thing is for sure: demand is as high as ever for college football tickets.
The 2014-15 season introduced the first-ever College Football Playoff, which featured Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon and Florida State. Ohio State defeated Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, while Oregon knocked off the previously undefeated Florida State in the Rose Bowl to advance to the National Championship game — where the Buckeyes handled the Ducks with ease.
Fans all across the country have high hopes for their teams — and perhaps no other team has higher hopes annually than the Alabama Crimson Tide. Nick Saban’s Alabama team is college football’s most recent dynasty, as the Crimson Tide won three BCS championships in four years, winning in 2009, 2011 and 2012. The Crimson Tide were upset in the Sugar Bowl last season — but expectations remain sky-high in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama fans are ready to get the bad taste of last year out of their mouths. According to sales of Alabama football ticket data supplied by TicketNetwork, the Tide’s Week 1 game against the Wisconsin Badgers at AT&T Stadium in Dallas is one of the most-popular games this season. Fans have paid an average ticket price of $226 to see the ‘Bama take on the Big 10 power Wisconsin on a neutral field — and it should be the highlight of this season’s early schedule.
Like Alabama, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are perpetually one of the most in-demand college football tickets. And no game is in higher demand than Notre Dame’s Week 1 tilt against the Texas Longhorns. Both Notre Dame and Texas have extremely loyal fan bases — and both are hungry for a championship season. Fans have paid an average of $564 to see the Fighting Irish take on the Longhorns in South Bend.
The Irish also have two other extremely popular games on the schedule this season — and both are traditional rivalry games. Notre Dame will take on its fellow Catholic school rival Boston College in Massachusetts this season on Nov. 21, and fans have paid an average of $558 to see the Eagles host the Irish at the historic Fenway Park on Nov. 21. Notre Dame’s annual rivalry game against the USC Trojans is also extremely popular. Irish and Trojans fans have paid an average of $452.27 to see the two prestigious programs take the field in South Bend on Oct. 17.
Irish and Crimson Tide fans aren’t the only ones excited for this season. The Michigan Wolverines have stumbled in recent years, but made the splash of the offseason when they hired Jim Harbaugh as the team’s new head coach, and sales of Michigan football tickets have increased accordingly. The Wolverines’ annual rivalry game against Ohio State is one of the most popular again this season. This season, the Michigan vs Ohio State game will take place in Ann Arbor, and fans have paid an average of $249 to see Michigan take on the defending champs.
Despite falling on hard times recently, Tennessee Volunteers fans are ready for another season — which will be head coach Butch Jones’ third in Knoxville. Tennessee fans are ready to pack Neyland Stadium on Sept. 5, as the Vols will take on the Oklahoma Sooners in a rare SEC-Big 12 regular season matchup. The tilt between Oklahoma and Tennessee is the sixth-most popular on TicketNetwork’s exchange.
The College Football Playoff rejuvenated college football fans last season – and that energy has carried into this year. With just two months to go until the season starts, one thing is for sure: this is one of the most highly-anticipated college football seasons in recent history!
Prices according to data retrieved 6/30/15. Due to the nature of the secondary ticket market, prices may fluctuate over time.
