TicketIQ Top 25 Week 8 Update #1

Week 8 brought the college football world some exciting upsets, while solidifying some early frontrunners for the Heisman Trophy. #8 Louisville lost a shocker at home to Central Florida, suffering their first loss of the year. After great wins against LSU and Tennessee a few weeks ago, the Georgia Bulldogs have dropped the ball the past two weeks. As if losing at home against Missouri was not enough, the Dawgs lost to Vanderbilt this past weekend in Nashville. Ole Miss and Auburn also had upset wins against LSU and Texas A&M, respectively.

Although Alabama still reigns at #1 in the polls, they remain at #8 this week in the TicketIQ Top 25 rankings. The Tide did not change in our rankings or even in average ticket price at $162. ‘Bama still has #13 LSU and #11 Auburn left on their schedule. The defense has continued to be unstoppable, only letting up 10 points in the past four games. The Crimson Tide is looking for a strong finish to vie for another national championship trip. Prices for Alabama football tickets will only escalate as the Iron Bowl approaches.

Marcus Mariota is one of the few frontrunners for the Heisman this year. After taking care of business this week in Pullman, the Oregon Ducks will have a their toughest stretch of the year the next two games. They first have to host #12 UCLA in Eugene and then travel to #6 Stanford after the bye. Oregon football tickets did not change this week in ranking or in price. At a $178 average, tickets will continue to climb with a Heisman candidate under center.

The Michigan Wolverines came back from their heartbreaking loss against Penn State with win against the Hoosiers in an offensive shootout. Devin Gardner had over 500 yards passing, while Michigan had 7 TDs on the ground alone. Michigan has owned the top spot in the TicketIQ Top 25 rankings for the past few weeks and continues to stay there this week. The average price for Michigan football tickets did decrease however by three percent to $232. The Wolverines are still finding a way to maintain the top spot despite not being in national championship talks. #24 Nebraska and #4 Ohio State are still left on the regular season schedule.

The Buckeyes kept their perfect season in tact with a win at the ‘Shoe against Iowa. Ohio State has not lost a game under Urban Meyer and is ranked #4 across the board in the polls. Carlos Hyde, who had almost 150 yards against the Hawkeyes, has been leading the Buckeyes’ offense. The rushing attack is 11th in the nation in average rushing yards per game. Ohio State football tickets slipped to #3 in the TicketIQ Top 25 rankings and decreased six percent in average ticket price to $216. The longer the Buckeyes stay undefeated, the higher average ticket price will rise as the season goes on.

Missouri has been a major surprise in the SEC this year with big wins against Georgia and Florida in the past few weeks. The Tigers are now ranked #5 in the nation after going 5-7 last season. Mizzou hosts #21 South Carolina this Saturday. Besides the Gamecocks, the Tigers only have #16 Texas A&M on the schedule. The major question is if Maty Mauk can replace James Franklin’s production under center. If last weekend was any indication to Mauk’s play, the Tigers should be just fine. Missouri football tickets are still not in the TicketIQ Top 25 rankings but are on the bubble and will definitely increase with the Tigers ranked in the Top 5 nationally. The Tigers’ average ticket price is relatively low at $107.

After winning the national championship in 2010, the Auburn Tigers have struggled to be in the spotlight, especially after going winless in the SEC last season. This has been a different year for the Tigers as they are 6-1 after their huge win last weekend in College Station. Auburn football tickets skyrocketed to an average price of $143, a ten percent increase and a six spot jump in our rankings to #13. The big showdown left on the schedule for the Tigers is the Iron Bowl against #1 Alabama at the end of the season. The game will likely have SEC championship and national championship implications.

Remember to check out the second part of this update tomorrow.