• Loading stock data...
Thursday, July 10, 2025

Ticket Prices Soar for CFP Semifinals

With strong games and ardent fanbases, the prices have doubled compared to any previous year.

What teams will be playing for and fans will be hoping for. (Photo via AP)

Whether it’s the expanding the wild-card round in baseball to the logos on jerseys in the NBA, change in sports and the business of sports almost always feature multiple and often conflicting perspectives.

Perhaps the one exception to this rule was the move from the BCS era of college football to the playoff era. Despite the consensus that the BCS didn’t work, in its first three years, the College Football Playoff has failed to drive the kind of demand at the box office that many expected.

2018, thanks to a combination of strong matchups, and a mix of classic and brand-new venues, is a different story. This year, the average price for the two semifinal games is double any previous year.

Over the last two years, the first four semifinal games had an average price of $263 on the secondary market, with the cheapest tickets under $100.

For the 2015 Orange Bowl where Clemson played Oklahoma, tickets could be had for $32, well below face price. Only the Alabama and Washington 2017 game, which was the Georgia Dome’s final Peach Bowl Peach Bowl, had prices typical of a New Year’s 6 Bowl.

This year, both games are historically high, with Sugar Bowl tickets for Bama-Clemson III at an all-time high, while ticket prices for Rose bowl tickets between Oklahoma and Georgia are the third-highest TicketIQ has ever tracked.


While the ‘Grandaddy of them all’ is in high demand this playoff season, over the previous three years of Rose Bowl Tickets, the two playoff games had an average price of $533 compared to an average of $633 for non-playoff games.

For the 2018 College Football Playoff, the two semifinal games are finally seeing a level of demand that college football surely hoped for when planning the new format.

While the Bama-Clemson game is being driven by proximity to the venue, for the Rose Bowl, Georgia and Oklahoma fans will have to travel a combined 3,500 miles to see their teams play for a shot at the title game in Atlanta.

On Priceline.com, the cheapest cost for a roundtrip flight to Los Angeles from Atlanta costs about $600. UGA fans in particular appear to be willing to splurge on the team’s first Rose Bowl since 1943.

If they’re able to beat Baker Mayfield to secure a spot in Atlanta for the championship game, tickets are currently available starting from $1,500, three times the price last year at the same time.

The good news for all those Georgia fans spending money on the semifinal game is that for the National Championship they’d be able sleep in their own bed, and maybe even drive to the game.


Front Office Sports is a leading multi-platform publication and industry resource that covers the intersection of business and sports.

Want to learn more, or have a story featured about you or your organization? Contact us today.

https://upscri.be/f32ae1/

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Jul 10, 2025; Wimbledon, United Kingdom; Iga Swiatek of Poland at her on court interview after winning her match against Belinda Bencic of Switzerland on day 11 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

Wimbledon Set to Deliver Strong Finals Matchup for ESPN

Novak Djokovic is still in the hunt for his 25th Grand Slam.
Feb 5, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell during the NFLPA press conference at the Super Bowl LIX media center at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

NFLPA Head Has Side Hustle With PE Firm That Can Invest in..

The NFLPA’s executive director is embroiled in multiple controversies.

Deion Sanders Rips ‘Bulljunk’ in CFB, Calls for NFL-Style Salary Cap

Coach Prime is frustrated with the new revenue-sharing era.

F1’s ESPN-Apple Dilemma Could Come Down to Reach vs. Money

MLB and MLS games on Apple TV+ have not drawn huge audiences.

Featured Today

Jun 28, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) bats during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Field.

The Torpedo Bat Business Is Still Going Strong: ‘Here to Stay’

Demand for the oddly shaped bats has stayed strong across the sport.
July 6, 2025

American Celebs Want to Be Sports Owners. Soccer Is Where They Start

As U.S. team prices climb, investors set their sights abroad.
July 5, 2025

Baseball’s Celebrity Row: Behind MLB’s First-Pitch Ritual

Often planned, sometimes spontaneous, the ritual throw is baseball’s celebrity row.
July 4, 2025

3,000 Hot Dogs, $20K in Prizes: Behind the Nathan’s Eating Contest

Nathan’s serves up thousands of hot dogs and $20,000 in prize money.

What Rolapp’s NFL Exit Means—and the Top Candidates to Replace Him

NFL media boss Brian Rolapp leaves; the league hunts for his replacement.
May 23, 2025

New LPGA Commissioner: Women’s Golf ‘Really Hard’ to Find on TV

Former PGA of America COO Craig Kessler will lead the tour.
Gabby Thomas
exclusive
June 12, 2025

Grand Slam Track Cancels Los Angeles Meet As $30 Million Track Start-Up..

Sources close to Grand Slam insist money is not an issue.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
Donald Trump, Nick Saban
May 22, 2025

Proposed Trump College Sports Commission May Never Happen

The White House is not sure of its plans.
May 15, 2025

PGA Championship Tees Off With Free Food, Record Hospitality Sales

General admission includes unlimited food and non-alcoholic beverages.
Jun 12, 2019; Boston, MA, USA; St. Louis Blues center Ivan Barbashev (49) and right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) hoists the Stanley Cup after defeating the Boston Bruins in game seven of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden
May 15, 2025

The 10 Biggest Stanley Cup Upsets of All Time

Since the 1984–1985 NHL season, 10 squads have defied the odds.
Allyson Felix
May 1, 2025

Allyson Felix on Olympic Pay, Nike, and Track’s Big-Money Era

Felix talked to FOS about her push to help Olympic parents and more.