Rivalries Reign Across Red River and the Beltway, London Calling
Nothing drives eyeballs—and ticket demand—quite like regional foes squaring off.
That’s especially the case when both teams are good this season, and their rivalry dates back more than a century. This week’s data from TickPick, a leading North American ticket marketplace, shows prices for rivalries are soaring.
In this week’s ticket trend report, Front Office Sports takes you through a pair of bitter matchups—and the record prices each is generating.
Battle of the Beltway, Renewed
The Ravens and Commanders will link up Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium in a meeting some predict could be the game of the year. It’ll be the eighth edition of a heated Capital Beltway rivalry. Baltimore holds a 4-3 advantage in the series, but visiting Washington has been one of the hottest teams in the NFL, winning four consecutive games behind rookie quarterback and No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels.
With reigning MVP Lamar Jackson leading the opposing offense, it’s no surprise that Sunday’s matchup is the most expensive all-time meeting between the two teams—and the hottest ticket of Week 6, according to TickPick. The $302 get-in price marks a 232% jump for the start of the season ($91).
While the average purchase price before the season was $182, the figure has shot up 102% to $369 following Week 5, which included both the Ravens’ dramatic overtime win over the Bengals, and the Commanders’ 21-point blowout of the Browns.
In anticipation of a classic battle between two great quarterbacks, two tickets were grabbed in Section 125, Row 2 for $1,414 ($707 per ticket), representing the biggest purchase of the game thus far.
New Conference, Same Foes
The Texas-Oklahoma rivalry goes back to 1900, and Saturday’s affair at the Cotton Bowl will be the 120th meeting. While the Longhorns and Sooners have switched conferences,both moving from the Big 12 to the SEC, the stakes and bad blood remain the same.
No. 1 Texas has been unbeatable as it eyes its first national title since 2005, averaging 45 points with the quarterback duo of Arch Manning and Quinn Ewers. Oklahoma has slipped to No. 18 following a loss, but it’s still looking at a spot in the expanded 12-team playoff thanks to Michael Hawkins, who will become the first true freshman Sooners QB to face Texas.
According to TickPick, the game is not only the most expensive college football game of the week, but also the priciest Red River Rivalry game on record with an average purchase price of $720. That’s 19% higher than a year ago ($604). Compared to other marquee games, the pricing is premium: Saturday’s matchup is 77% more expensive than this season’s Iron Bowl (Alabama-Auburn, $405) and 13% more expensive than the 2024 edition of The Game (Ohio State-Michigan, $637).
One group of six has shelled out $13,224 for tickets in Section 7, Row 26. That’s $2,204 per ticket if you’re counting.
Expect lots of burnt orange: Nearly half of purchases (48%) have come from Texas, compared to Oklahoma’s 18%.
The Get In
What it takes to get through the gates this week if you’re willing to spend big or or looking to save.
Vikings Top Jets Across the Pond
The first of three London Series games this NFL season got off with a bang. Sunday’s Vikings-Jets game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium saw an average purchase price of $391. That’s a whopping 220% higher than last year’s opening London game between the Falcons and Jaguars ($122), according to TickPick.
Similarly, the $159 get-in price was 224% more expensive than Falcons-Jaguars ($49), when the cheapest ticket sold on the day of the game was just $16, notes TickPick.
For the Jets, the trip may have been for naught, as they trailed for the entirety of the game and moved to 2-3 with the loss. They added insult to injury when they returned Stateside, as head coach Robert Saleh was fired on Tuesday. The Vikings were happy travelers, joining the Chiefs as the NFL’s only undefeated teams. A large portion of the fans in attendance may have been disappointed, however: 40% of purchases came from New York, while 17% came from Minnesota.
The game was the priciest Vikings ticket of the season, and 42% more expensive than the next-closest: Their upcoming December rivalry matchup with the Packers ($275), according to TickPick. A six-ticket purchase for $6,792 ($1,132 per seat) in Section 120, Row 14 set the watermark.
Zooming Out
Across the Power 4 conferences, overall average prices have dipped since the start of the year.
