It remains to be seen if Alabama and Clemson will be able to match or surpass their thrilling national championship game last season, though it seems that’s where the expectation rests.
Based on data from Vivid Seats, an online secondary ticket marketplace, demand to see the Crimson Tide and Tigers do battle in their College Football Playoff national title rematch Monday appears to be up from what it was one year ago.
As of this past Thursday, the average price of sold tickets has been $1,230 – the highest of the College Football Playoff era. Last season, Alabama-Clemson tickets were sold at an average price of $683.
Location likely plays the biggest reason for the demand increase, as this year’s national title game will be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida – a relatively close location for both Alabama and Clemson.
For Alabama, Raymond James Stadium is 573 miles away from its campus in Tuscaloosa, while its 569 miles away from Clemson’s campus. Between the two, the combined average distance to the host venue is 571 miles.
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Comparatively, Alabama (1,668 miles) and Clemson (1,970 miles) had a combined average distance of 1,819 miles to last season’s venue at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
For Monday’s national championship game, Vivid Seats has the get-in price at $837 and the median price at $1,965.
Overall, the $1,230 ticket average is the highest mark for a college football national championship game since the 2011 game between Alabama and LSU in New Orleans ($1,747) and the 2012 game between Alabama and Notre Dame in Miami ($1,423).
In 2013, Auburn-Florida State in the final national title game of the BCS era had an average ticket price of $908 for their meeting at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California despite an average distance of 2,189.5 miles.
For the inaugural College Football Playoff national championship in 2014 between Ohio State and Oregon, the average ticket price was $852. The combined average distance was 1,536.5 miles.
It’s also worth noting that the semifinal game under the College Football Playoff format possibly has deterred some fans from buying tickets for the national title game as they choose to only attend the former game in order to save money.
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Also of note for Monday’s game is where fans are buying tickets for it, per Vivid Seats.
- Tampa, FL
- Greenville, SC
- Birmingham, AL
- Charleston, SC
- Atlanta, GA
- Greer, SC
- St. Petersburg, FL
- Rock Hill, SC
- Columbia, SC
- Mount Pleasant, SC
2011 – New Orleans, Mercedes-Benz Superdome: Alabama (293 miles), LSU (79 miles)
Combined average distance from host venue: 186 miles
2012 – Miami Gardens, Sun Life Stadium: Alabama (765 miles), Notre Dame (1,326 miles)
Combined average distance from host venue: 1,045.5 miles
2013 – Pasadena, Rose Bowl Stadium: Auburn (2,124 miles), Florida State (2,255 miles)
Combined average distance from host venue: 2,189.5 miles
2014 – Arlington, AT&T Stadium: Ohio State (1,061 miles), Oregon (2,012 miles)
Combined average distance from host venue: 1,536.5 miles
2015 – Glendale, University of Phoenix Stadium: Alabama (1,668 miles), Clemson (1,970 miles)
Combined average distance from host venue: 1,819 miles
2016 – Tampa, Raymond James Stadium: Alabama (573 miles), Clemson (569 miles)
Combined average distance from host venue: 571 miles
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(You can follow Kevin Connell on Twitter @_KevinConnell)
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