The suspense is finally over.
The college football playoff matchups are set, with 12 teams vying for the NCAA title in the College Football Playoff.
The novelty of the first edition of this version of the CFP raises the question: Can fans afford a seat?
Between the novelty factor and the inaugural expanded playoff, let’s see how costs compare to other major sporting event tickets.
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Comparing 2023 CFP ticket prices to 2024
For context, we reviewed ticket prices from last year’s college football playoffs.
In the first playoff matchup between Texas and Washington, ticket prices on SeatGeek averaged $416 to $3,019. The Rose Bowl featuring Alabama vs Michigan started higher. The cheapest tickets available on game week began at $485 and the most expensive were $5,110.
After the final CFP 2024 regular-season rankings were announced, ticket prices for the first-round games began to populate on ticketing sites.
Indiana vs Notre Dame, the first game of the playoffs on Dec. 20, is the most expensive ticket out of the gate.
The cheapest tickets available (oh yeah, we’re talking nosebleed seats) are $1,086. And the most expensive, near the 50-yard line by the visitor’s bench, are $3,135.
To compare, this year’s Super Bowl featured tickets in New Orleans can be had right now for as low as $2,000 with an average of $8,600 and a high on the resale market of $45,000. College football’s playoff matchups are pricey but nowhere near Super Bowl level.
The Super Bowl is the pinnacle of ticketing prices for a sporting event.
Golf’s premier event, The Master’s, is one of the cheapest. Tickets for practice rounds can cost fans about $75, $115 for the actual tournament, and up to $4,000 on the resale market.
This year’s World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees compares more to the college football playoffs than the Super Bowl. It was the most-watched World Series in seven years, with the lowest ticket price in Game One at $895, and the highest price in Game Three at $1,702.
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