SEC Leads College Football Ticket Sales, Colorado Makes Biggest Jump

The SEC is dominating early season ticket sales in college football, with five schools in the top 10 of StubHub’s most in-demand teams for the 2023 season. 

SEC powerhouse Alabama ranks No. 1 on the list, followed by Michigan (Big Ten), Notre Dame (Independent), Penn State (Big Ten), Tennessee (SEC), Georgia (SEC), Auburn (SEC), Florida State (ACC), Texas A&M (SEC), and Colorado (Big 12). The rankings are based on StubHub’s cumulative ticket sales as of August 22 for the 2023 college football season.

SEC schools are outselling the second most in-demand conference, the Big Ten, by 45% more in ticket sales. Ohio State ranks 11th on StubHub’s ticket sales list, but the Buckeyes drive the most sales on the road with its games at Notre Dame (Sept. 23) and Michigan (Nov. 25) ranking as the top two most in-demand college football games of 2023.

StubHub expects vast changes in ticket sales starting with next season’s massive conference realignment, with USC, UCLA, Washington, and Oregon joining the Big Ten. At the same time, the Big 12 will add Colorado, ASU, Arizona, and Utah.

”We predict that ticket sales will start to reflect changes in how fans travel, create new rivalries and spotlight more teams across the country,” said StubHub spokesperson Adam Budelli. “Sales are trending up almost 50% over last season, and we’re seeing the most preseason sales of the past five years – Colorado leads the charge with the biggest jump in sales.”

The offseason hire of Deion Sanders as head coach of Colorado has driven a massive 15x increase in Buffaloes ticket sales from last year, per StubHub. The cheapest tickets for Colorado’s home opener on Sept. 9 against Nebraska were priced around $400 in May.