December 2, 2014
The first weekend in December will play host to four major conference championships in college football. With some College Football Playoff spots on the line, there’s more at stake than usual during these championship games. While all games should be exciting, they’re all valued slightly differently on the secondary market. Below are the prices of the weekend’s four big championship games.
The SEC Championship game pits the SEC West champions, the Alabama Crimson Tide (11-1) against the SEC East champions, the Missouri Tigers (10-2). These two teams are currently riding winning streaks of seven games and six games, respectively. Alabama owes the majority of offensive success to running back TJ Yeldon and wide receiver Amari Cooper. Yeldon has rushed for 885 yards and eight touchdowns this season while Cooper has caught 103 passes for 1,573 yards and 14 touchdowns. Cooper accounted for 224 yards and three touchdowns during Alabama’s win over Auburn in the annual Iron Bowl rivalry game. While Missouri doesn’t feature one main playmaker, Missouri’s offense is averaging 176 rushing yards per game and has the 13th ranked defense in college football, yielding just 19.7 points per game. These two teams haven’t faced each other since 2012 when Alabama routed Missouri, 42-10. According to TicketIQ, the average ticket price for Alabama vs. Missouri is currently $251.46 on the secondary market, with a get in price of $113. These are the highest ticket prices among the main championship games, but the cheapest the SEC championship game has been in at least 5 seasons.
The Pac-12 Championship game pits the Oregon Ducks (11-1) against the Arizona Wildcats (10-2). These two teams are currently riding winning streaks of seven games and four games, respectively. Arizona handed Oregon its only loss of the season. Buoyed by a dominant rushing attack, Arizona’s top running backs Nick Wilson and Terris Jones-Grigsby ran for 207 yards and three touchdowns in their 30-24 victory over Oregon. Since the loss, Oregon’s offense, which is led by quarterback and Heisman Trophy front runner, Marcus Mariota, has scored at least 42 points per game. Mariota shares the backfield with running back Royce Freeman, who is averaging 5.7 yards per carry and has scored 16 rushing touchdowns this season. According to TicketIQ, the average ticket price for Oregon vs. Arizona is currently $139.69 on the secondary market while the get-in price for the game is $32. These are the lowest ticket prices among the main championship games.
The Big Ten Championship game pits the Ohio State Buckeyes (11-1) against the Wisconsin Badgers (10-2). These two teams are riding winning streaks of ten games and seven games, respectively. Ohio State lost its leader and Heisman trophy candidate, J.T. Barrett to season-ending ankle injury against Michigan. In his place, third-string quarterback Cardale Jones will look to lead Ohio State to its first Big Ten Championship. Running back Ezekiel Elliott, who has rushed for 1,182 yards and ten touchdowns, will look to take some pressure off of Jones. Wisconsin will look to ride Heisman Trophy hopeful running back Melvin Gordon en-route to its third Big Ten Championship victory. Gordon has been unstoppable this season, compiling 2,260 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns on 283 carries. According to TicketIQ, the average ticket price for Ohio State vs. Wisconsin is currently $170.05 on the secondary market while the get-in price for the game is $58. These are the second highest ticket prices among the main championship games.
The ACC Championship game pits the Florida State Seminoles (12-0) against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (10-2). Florida State has won 28 straight games while Georgia Tech has won five straight games to close out its regular season. Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston has struggled recently, but has a knack for making big plays when his team needs them. In addition, while Winston may not always have his A-Game, he is supported by some of the best playmakers in college football. Running back Dalvin Cook is averaging 5.9 yards per carry in limited action while wide receiver Rashad Greene has caught 86 passes for 1,183 yards and five touchdowns. While Georgia Tech doesn’t have one dynamic playmaker on offense, its rushing attack is arguably the best one in college football. Georgia Tech’s rushing attack ranks fourth in the national with 333.8 rushing yards per game. Look for Georgia Tech to control the clock and keep Winston on the sidelines. According to TicketIQ, the average ticket price for Florida State vs. Georgia Tech is currently $142.09 on the secondary market while the get-in price for the game is $32. These are the second lowest ticket prices among the main championship games.
