Bring on ‘Bama
December 12, 2014
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December 12, 2014After falling as far back as the No. 16 ranked team during the College Football Playoff committee’s first ranking on October 16, the Ohio State Buckeyes have cemented the No. 4 spot and will play the Alabama Crimson Tide in this season’s Sugar Bowl. The team has built quite the resume since the committee’s initial ranking, going 8-0 over eight consecutive weeks of play and finishing the season at 12-1 and 8-0 in Big Ten games.
The Buckeyes will face their most difficult test yet against the Crimson Tide on New Year’s Day at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, however, as they enter their fifth Sugar Bowl Game in school history. The 2015 Sugar Bowl and its added significance will allow the winning team to compete in the first annual College Football Championship and as Sugar Bowl tickets become more available on the secondary market, this year’s game will be the most expensive in the last five seasons.
The average secondary market price for Sugar Bowl tickets on TiqIQ is currently listed at $496.97, marking a 76.5% jump in price from last season’s average of $281.56, and the game’s cheapest seat is currently priced at $232. The 2014 Sugar Bowl, which was the 80th annual game, saw Oklahoma take down Alabama 45-31 and served as the final season with the BCS system intact. With the College Football Playoff committee taking over in school rankings this season, the newly-formed playoff system has given this year’s Sugar Bowl more importance as a semifinal game, causing ticket prices to rise on the secondary market.
Though advertised as a neutral ground for both teams, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans is significantly closer to the Crimson Tide’s home field in Tuscaloosa than Ohio State’s field in Columbus. Bryant-Denny Stadium is approximately 292 miles northwest of the Superdome while Ohio Stadium is 913 miles away. This may give Alabama an advantageous home crowd, though Ohio State’s exceptional play over the final eight weeks of the season gives much reason to believe that the Buckeyes will be a threat in the deciding game on New Year’s Day.
While there are two semifinal games for the College Football Playoff, the Rose Bowl will not come close to the ticket demand of the Sugar Bowl this season on the secondary market. The Rose Bowl, between No. 2 Oregon and No. 3 Florida State, currently has an average price of $385.79, 22.3% below the Sugar Bowl average/
Alongside record-setting secondary market ticket prices, this season’s Sugar Bowl will also be the most expensive bowl game that Ohio State has played in in the last five seasons. The 2010 season saw the team last play in the Sugar Bowl against Arkansas on January 4, 2011, where tickets averaged at $158.48 on the secondary market, marking a 213% increase in price between the school’s Sugar Bowl appearances. The team would then play in the Gator Bowl at the conclusion of the 2011 season, owning a secondary market average of $118.19. Ohio State participated in the Orange Bowl last season and tickets had an average price of $138.03.
With an average price nearly reaching the $500 plateau, the 2015 Sugar Bowl will be one of the most anticipated and expensive games in bowl history. Expect a high octane offense from both teams as they compete for a spot in the first-ever College Football Championship Game, which will be played at AT&T Stadium on January 12.
2 Comments
Correction: The Rose Bowl is between Oregon and Florida State, not Oregon and Ohio State – it would be really impressive if the Buckeyes could win 2 semifinals games simultaneously though!
A friend and I road tripped to New Orleans on a whim in ’97 for the Sugar Bowl against Florida State. (ah to be young again). Paid $90 bucks for mezzanine (club) level seats in the endzone. At the time it seemed like a ton of money, especially when FSU dismantled the Bucks in the game.