The college football playoffs begin in just a few days, and as fans, alumni and students rush to secure their seats at the big event, many of them may be surprised at the cost of entry. For fans of Indiana University and Notre Dame University in particular, the get-in price is nearly triple that of the other first-round games.
The cheapest tickets for the first-round game set to kick off on Dec. 20 in Notre Dame Stadium range from $824 to $900, and after fans add on the inevitable taxes and fees, that rate increases to over $1,000. Meanwhile, tickets to other first-round games range from $99 to $262 for the Ohio State vs Tennessee match up and the Penn State vs SMU game, respectively.
Related: Study of Big Ten Ticket Prices Reveals the Need for Accessibility of Live Sports
According to the Indy Star, “The game in South Bend will mark the first time the two Indiana schools have faced off since 1991.”
Notre Dame Stadium holds 77,622, with 3,500 tickets being reserved for the Hoosiers, including members of the band and players’ families. IU will put some tickets in a lottery for student entry, meaning that some students won’t face the high prices of the secondary market.
Jeremy Gray, a spokesperson for IU Athletics told WISH TV, “We actually have the scan-in rate of every student season ticket holder, so the more you’ve actually shown at games over the course of your Indiana experience the better your chance in the lottery.” Gray went on to say that he’s never seen a secondary market ticket price like this one.
Said Gray, “I think another driving factor is the novelty of Indiana making it. You’ve got a lot of alums and people interested in those programs within driving distance of the stadium, so I really think those three factors are really driving up the price.”
The high prices stand in stark contrast to a study released prior to the 2024 college football season by SportsCasting, “Big Ten Football 2024: Average Ticket Prices, Most Expensive Games and Cheapest Games to Attend.”
Based on that report, Indiana had the third-lowest average ticket prices in the Big Ten. And, the most expensive regular season ticket was for the early season Michigan vs Texas game, starting at $441. The report went on to identify Northwestern as having the highest average get-in price, at $225 per game. Other Big Ten teams making a playoff appearance stood somewhere in the middle, with Oregon having an average price of $97 and Penn State’s average price coming out to $74.
