August 3, 2015
Welcome to the first installment of the TicketIQ Top 25 College Football unveiling. Each year -- and each week during the season -- TicketIQ ranks the most expensive schools in college football by home secondary market average ticket price. Over the next week, we’ll unveil five schools per day on our list of most expensive average prices for college football teams for the 2015 season. All prices listed below are from the secondary market and all data is provided by TicketIQ. The rankings and price changes are compared to the 2014 preseason TicketIQ Top 25. Before we get into this year’s list, we can point out schools that were on the list at the start of last season, but don’t appear this year. Iowa (11), USC (14), Michigan State (17), Boise State (20) Texas Tech (21), and Kansas State (22) made the initial list last season, but do not appear this year.
Below are schools ranked 25 through 21 on the 2015 TicketIQ Top 25 for college football.
25. Missouri | Avg. Price: $112.53
Last Year: NR | Price Change: +1.85%
Secondary market prices have not changed much for Missouri -- up less than 2% from last season -- but it was enough to get the Tigers into this year’s preseason Top 25. Even as the Tigers again proved to be one of the top schools in the SEC, winning the SEC West, but losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, the Tigers did not crack the end of season TicketIQ Top 25, either. The most expensive Missouri football tickets this season will come on October 10 against the Florida Gators with an average price of $163.34 and a get-in price of $70.
24. Utah | Avg. Price: $113.70
Last Year: 23 | Price Change: -4.74%
Despite a drop of nearly 5% in average price, Utah only dropped one spot in the preseason TicketIQ Top 25. The Utes worked their way into the AP Top 25 Poll by midseason before falling out after a 42-10 loss to Arizona in late November, but were able to sneak back in at the end of the season and finished at No. 21. The most expensive home Utah football tickets this season will come as the season opener against Michigan. The get-in price of $207 is more expensive than the average of any other game at Rice Eccles Stadium this season.
23. UCLA | Avg. Price: $115.37
Last Year: 4 | Price Change: -41.79%
UCLA was this year’s biggest faller in both rank and average price of schools still on the list. After a season that saw the Bruins finish 10-3 and as the No. 10 team in the AP Poll, they dropped 19 places in the TicketIQ Top 25 with an average price decrease of 41.70%. No other school dropped more than nine places or 30% from last year’s preseason poll. Some of the drop in price of UCLA football tickets can be attributed to the home schedule for the Bruins. While games against USC, Oregon and Arizona were played at the Rose Bowl last year, none of those top Pac-12 opponents will visit this season. Games against Arizona, Stanford and the annual rivalry with USC will all come on the road in 2015.
22. Clemson | Avg. Price: $115.37
Last Year: NR | Price Change: +16.1%
Clemson finished behind the Florida State Seminoles in the Atlantic division of the ACC last season, but enter 2015 as the only school in the conference ranked in the TicketIQ Top 25. The Tigers were not among the 25 most expensive football schools at the start of last season, but the price of Clemson football tickets has increased 16.1% on the secondary market after finishing the season as the No. 15 team in the AP Poll. Clemson’s most expensive game will come against Notre Dame on October 3 with a current average price of $406.45 and a get-in price of $230.
21. Florida | Avg. Price: $118.05
Last Year: 24 | Price Change: -0.33%
Only one school among the preseason TicketIQ Top 25 saw an opposite trend between ranking and average price. That school would be Florida. Despite a small drop in average price of -0.33%, the Gators jumped three spots in the rankings from the start of last season. 2014 was an improvement for the Gators after a 4-8 finish in 2013. While 2014 wasn’t great, the five losses came against tough competition and only two of those games were decided by more than one score. The most expensive Florida football tickets this season will come against the Florida State Seminoles on November 28 with an average price of $202.20 and a get-in price of $86.
Check back tomorrow for the second installment of our Top 25 where we discuss 20 thru 15 in the College ranks.
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