College Football Game Tickets
Buying Tips and Strategies
College football is truly fantastic, but trying to get a ticket to see your favorite team play may be near to impossible. If you are able to snag a ticket, the cost may be as much, or sometimes more, than the cost of purchasing a ticket to an NFL game. For example, a ticket to a USC (University of Southern California) home game can cost you as much as $300 or even more. Consequently, the cost for a family of four to attend a USC or other top college team game could cost upwards of a thousand dollars. That said, there are some things you can do to increase your chances of getting a ticket, and getting it at a reasonable price.
- Pick a non-conference game, or a game against a smaller school. This was the advice we received in a Suite 101 interview with the Ohio State Athletic ticket office. For example, a ticket to the Ohio State vs. Wisconsin game will cost over $300 (tickets are only available through a third-party as the school has no more tickets available), but a ticket to the Ohio State vs. Kent State game will cost less than $70 (and the ticket can be purchased directly from the school). This game may not sound appealing, but some games with smaller teams may be exciting. Consider surprises by underdogs like Appalachian State when they defeated the University of Michigan, and USC being defeated by Stanford.
- Consider purchasing tickets from the other team. This may sound strange, but it‘s a great strategy. In college football, each team is allotted a certain number of tickets. For example, in a few weeks, Penn State will face Michigan State in East Lansing. Michigan State has given Penn State a number of tickets to sell. Because many of their fans may not want to travel to East Lansing, you may have a better chance of getting tickets and/or better seats by purchasing the tickets from Penn instead of Michigan State. The downside is that you'll have to sit with the opposing team, nevertheless, you'll be in the stadium and able to see the game.
- Plan far in advance. When you purchase college football tickets directly from the school, the ticket prices are the same and seats are on a first come, first served basis. So if you choose the right game and plan in advance, you may be able to get some great seats to a great game on a budget.
- If neither schools have anymore tickets available, check reputable sites like StubHub or TicketsNow. These are sites on which season ticket holders sell tickets to games they are unable to attend.
After the students, alumni, donors, faculty and staff get their tickets, there are usually very few tickets left for the public to purchase. If the other ideas have failed, note that for many games the school will have a few seats for sell although they are in the upper corners of the stadiums. Hey, at least you’re there, and remember, college football is as much about the experience as it is about the game. No matter where you sit, you can enjoy the experience including tailgating, cheering and sporting your favorite teams paraphernalia.
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