Ticket prices for Week 1 college football games, which begin Thursday, are relatively soft at the top end of the market, with fewer must-see games than previous years’ opening weekends.
Just two games have get-in prices over $100 as of Thursday morning, according to prices listed by teams’ official ticketing or secondary market partners: Wisconsin–Notre Dame ($170) and Clemson-LSU ($110).
The Badgers are taking on the Fighting Irish at Lambeau Field in Green Bay on Sunday as part of the annual Shamrock Series that rotates among iconic venues away from South Bend. Meanwhile, Lane Kiffin is making his LSU head coaching debut in Baton Rouge on Saturday night with controversy surrounding the Tigers potentially playing former NFL players.
Here are the five most expensive get-in prices during Week 1 of the college football season:
- Wisconsin–Notre Dame: $170
- Clemson–LSU: $110
- Washington State–Washington: $88
- Colorado–Georgia Tech: $85
- Baylor–Auburn: $80
Georgia Tech’s matchup against Colorado is the Yellow Jackets’ second-most expensive home game of the season—topped only by next week’s visit from Tennessee ($114)—as Deion Sanders begins his fourth season as head coach of the Buffaloes. Colorado–Georgia Tech is on ESPN in primetime Thursday night, but overall Colorado is seeing less demand than previous seasons from college football broadcasters looking to put Coach Prime in the spotlight.
Auburn decided last year to move its 2026 home opener against Baylor to Atlanta as part of a multimillion-dollar deal that will see Tigers players receive NIL (name, image, and likeness) opportunities tied to the game’s ticket sales and surrounding events.
Ohio State–Texas Looming
While Week 1 ticket prices are not out of this world, Week 2 will be a different story as No. 1 Ohio State visits No. 5 Texas in what could be the most expensive game of the college football season. The get-in price for next Saturday’s sold-out matchup in Austin is currently $528.
Last year’s opening-weekend Texas–Ohio State matchup in Columbus had a get-in price of more than $330 in the day leading up to the game, which became the most-watched Week 1 college football game on record, as Fox averaged 16.62 million viewers.
Other pricey games in Week 1 last year included LSU-Clemson ($250) and Miami–Notre Dame ($200). Even TCU–UNC topped $120, as Bill Belichick made his head coaching debut in Chapel Hill.
