Notre Dame and Ohio State fans have faced challenging travel demands during the first 12-team college football playoff, especially as they made their way to the national championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday night.
Given the extended postseason, many fans were worried that the cost of attending the championship might be too high after the previous travel expenses. However, the demand for tickets for this year’s game has driven prices even higher. Resale platforms show that ticket prices start around $1,800, with the average price reaching up to $2,500 for the championship.
“We definitely expected demand to rise,” said Joseph Bocanegra, a spokesperson for StubHub. “But I don’t think we expected it to be as big as it has been.”
According to Bocanegra, the average ticket price for this year’s game is $2,500, which is higher than last year’s $1,800 average for the game between Michigan and Washington in Houston. “It’s on track to be our best-selling CFP national championship game in StubHub history,” he added.
Vivid Seats, another ticket marketplace, has called the game the “hottest college football ticket” since 2009, with an average price of $2,269 and the cheapest tickets available for around $1,452.
Ohio Leads in Sales
Ohio has been the top contributor to sales, accounting for around 17% of tickets sold on StubHub. Illinois follows with 6%, while Indiana accounts for 4%. Despite this, it’s not a guarantee that Ohio State will have the largest fan presence at the game.
Brett Daniels, senior director of communications for the College Football Playoff, explained that both teams have exhausted their 20,000-ticket allotment, aiming to create a “neutral site atmosphere” for the game.
Notre Dame, known for its large national fan base, makes it harder to predict turnout by state. Vivid Seats anticipates that Notre Dame fans will make up 55% of the crowd as the Fighting Irish aim for their first national title since 1988.
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard expressed his pride in representing the school and leading them to the national championship. “It’s truly an honor and something I don’t take for granted,” he said. “I take a lot of pride in wearing the blue and gold. Our fans have been loyal for a very long time, and it would be an honor to deliver them another one.”
Long Drives Ahead
For fans driving to Atlanta, the trip can be lengthy. From South Bend, Indiana, to Atlanta, it’s about a 675-mile drive that takes around 11 hours. Ohio State fans from Columbus have a shorter trip of about 567 miles, which takes around 8 and a half hours.
Still Not Super Bowl Prices
While ticket prices for the national championship game are high, they’re still lower than those for the Super Bowl. “I don’t think I’ve seen a championship game like this in terms of demand and price for tickets,” Bocanegra said. However, he pointed out that “it’s certainly still lower than the Super Bowl,” where the lowest ticket price is around $4,000 to $5,000.
Ohio State is favored in the game, opening as a 9 and a half-point favorite, with the spread shrinking to 8 and a half points by Thursday. Meanwhile, a betting site called BetOnline.ag found that fans in almost every state were rooting for Notre Dame.
A review of more than 230,000 posts on X showed that Ohio and West Virginia were the only states where a majority of fans supported Ohio State. Fans from other states, including Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Kentucky, showed slight support for Notre Dame.
