College Football TicketIQ Top 25 - Week 11 Update
November 14, 2013
Week 11 brought us some of the biggest match-ups so far this season. However two of the biggest games did not occur on Saturday. Baylor stayed undefeated by beating Oklahoma Thursday night followed by Stanford’s upset of previously undefeated Oregon. All eyes are on the undefeated teams as we head into the final few weeks of the regular season. Alabama stayed undefeated with their 38-17 win at home against Les Miles and the LSU Tigers. Virginia Tech pulled a shocker in Miami Gardens, upsetting the Miami Hurricanes 42-24 who struggled on the ground after losing their top running Duke Johnson for the season. Lastly, Jameis Winston blew out Wake Forest with a 50+point win in Winston-Salem. He is a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy as the season winds down.
The Tide stayed perfect with their big win against the Tigers this past weekend. Alabama has not been challenged too much this season but their win against #13 LSU solidified why they are the top team in the nation. They also have an easy upcoming two weeks against Mississippi State and Chattanooga before heading to Auburn to play the annual Iron Bowl. Alabama football tickets gained a spot in the TicketIQ Top 25 rankings to #7. However, Bama’s average ticket price did drop by one percent to $157. This comes as no surprise as Alabama has been the top team in the nation all season and plays a formidable threat in the Auburn Tigers. Tickets will only get more expensive as the SEC Championship game looms.
The Ducks dropped to #6 in the AP rankings after their perfect season came to an end against Stanford. Oregon has now had their perfect seasons come to an end in back-to-back seasons to the Cardinal. Stanford defeated the Ducks in Eugene last year. The loss could affect how Marcus Mariota is looked at in the Heisman race with candidates like Jameis Winston still leading undefeated teams. Oregon football tickets stayed at #5 in our rankings but did fall a percent to $174 average ticket price. Although the Ducks probably just kicked themselves out of the national championship race, they will probably head to the Rose Bowl if they can win the Pac-12 Championship. Ticket prices should stay high with Oregon still in the Top 10 of the AP.
Florida State has proved all season that the ACC can compete with the best conferences in college football. The Seminoles destroyed the Deacon Demons to move to 9-0, setting up a matchup in Tallahassee against Syracuse. Florida State football tickets have been a mystery all season. The first half of the season, tickets were steadily going up as the Seminoles continued to stay undefeated. However even though they have still not lost a game, ticket prices have been plummeting every week. This week is no different. FSU’s average ticket price decreased six percent to $109. It also dropped two more spots in the TicketIQ Top 25 rankings to #23. FSU does have an easy schedule coming up in the Orange and Idaho the next two weeks The Noles will end the season in Gainesville against the Florida Gators who are unranked.
After losing in late September to #6 LSU, the Auburn Tigers have not lost a game since. The Tigers took care of business in Knoxville this past weekend, beating the Tennessee Volunteers 55-23 to move to 9-1. Auburn will face #25 Georgia before hosting the top team in the nation in a few weeks. In a way, Auburn can control their destiny to get to the SEC Championship game and perhaps the national championship depending on how they can handle Alabama. Auburn football tickets moved up a spot in our rankings to #11 but dropped a percent to $141 average ticket price. Prices should skyrocket as the big matchup with the Tide comes near. At the very least, Auburn ticket prices should stay in the Top 15 for the remainder of the season.
Urban Meyer’s streak continued this week because of the bye for Ohio State. The Buckeyes had the week off to prepare for a 3-6 Illinois team who has not won a Big Ten game this year. OSU does not have a ranked team left on the schedule and will likely finish undefeated again just like last year. However, Ohio State will need a lot of help to reach the national championship game. The team’s strength of schedule is not favorable compared to other BCS teams. They also have Alabama and Florida State who are ahead of them in the rankings. It is not likely you see a program have back-to-back undefeated seasons with no championships to show for it. When a playoff does come to college football next year, teams who are in the position of OSU will have a chance to play for a title. Ohio State football tickets stayed at the #3 spot but did go down a percent to $211. Demand has been high because of the undefeated season despite the lack of competition. Tickets should stay high for OSU tickets as they stay undefeated.
South Carolina rebounded after their loss against Tennessee in mid-October with wins over #5 Missouri and Mississippi State. The Gamecocks are now ranked #10 in the AP poll and are threatening Missouri for the top spot in the SEC East. The ‘Cocks host Florida and Coastal Carolina before welcoming #8 Clemson into Columbia to end the regular season. As a result of the hype, South Carolina football tickets increase a spot in the TicketIQ Top 25 to #15 with an average ticket price of $130, a two percent increase. If the Gamecocks can keep on winning, a bid to the SEC Championship game against either Alabama or Auburn is not out of the question.
LSU suffered their third loss of the season this year against #1 Alabama this past week. This has not been the best year for Les Miles after lofty expectations with the return of QB Zach Mettenberger. The competition will stay high in two weeks after their bye as LSU hosts Johnny Football and #11 Texas A&M. LSU football tickets did go up a spot in our rankings but did decrease in average ticket price to $153. The decrease was a one percent drop. Although their season has not gone as planned, ticket prices remain high for the Tigers. They are still playing highly competitive teams and LSU has a strong fan base. It would not be surprising however to see other teams overtake the Tigers in ticket price as the regular season comes to an end and the championship games begin.
