The first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff has kickstarted an unprecedented frenzy for tickets to Monday’s national championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame. Fans are clamoring to witness history at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, sending resale prices soaring to record levels for the title game.
According to ticket marketplace StubHub, the average price for a ticket to the game currently sits at a staggering $2,500, blowing past the $1,800 average for last year’s matchup between Michigan and Washington. StubHub spokesperson Joseph Bocanegra said demand has exceeded all expectations.
We definitely expected demand to be up, but I definitely don’t think we were expecting demand to be as big as it has been.
Joseph Bocanegra, StubHub spokesperson
Bocanegra noted that the game is on track to be StubHub’s best-selling CFP championship ever, having already surpassed the total sales for every prior title game on the platform. The most affordable seats are currently priced around $1,800.
Ohio Fans Fueling Ticket Surge
While demand is high across the board, one fan base is primarily responsible for driving up prices: Ohio State supporters. StubHub reports that approximately 17% of all sales have come from the state of Ohio, by far the highest share of any state.
Illinois ranks a distant second at 6% of sales, followed by Indiana at 4%. However, strong sales from the Buckeye State don’t necessarily mean Ohio State fans will pack Mercedes-Benz Stadium more than Fighting Irish faithful.
Notre Dame’s National Fan Base a Factor
Brett Daniels, senior director of communications for the CFP, said both schools have sold out their allotment of 20,000 tickets for the game, which aims to create a neutral site atmosphere. Notre Dame’s national following makes it tricky to project the ultimate fan split based on the geographic distribution of sales.
Vivid Seats, another major ticket reseller, is predicting that Notre Dame fans could actually make up 55% of the crowd Monday night as the Irish pursue their first national championship since 1988. The “hottest college football ticket” in over a decade is shaping up to be an epic battle both on and off the field.
- Average ticket price on StubHub: $2,500 (record high)
- Least expensive seat currently: around $1,800
- 17% of StubHub sales from Ohio, most of any state
The expanded 12-team playoff was expected to test fans’ budgets by the time the title game arrived, especially after two rounds of semifinals. Instead, the new format has only intensified the demand and excitement around the sport’s biggest game.
No matter which team emerges victorious under the bright lights in Atlanta, the early returns suggest the CFP’s move to 12 teams is already paying off in the form of unprecedented fan enthusiasm. The astronomical ticket prices for this Ohio State-Notre Dame clash prove that when it comes to passion for college football, there’s no ceiling in sight.
