On Tuesday, the College Football Playoff committee officially announced the first of seven Top 25 rankings that will take place through December 7. Three of the committee’s top-four schools play in the SEC, making the conference a heavy favorite to house a team that will compete in the National Championship Game this season. Mississippi State has been ranked the No. 1 school in the country, with SEC counterparts Auburn and Ole Miss following as the No. 3 and 4 ranked teams. Slipping between Auburn and Ole Miss is defending champion Florida State, who is the only ACC team among the Top 10-ranked schools.
Alongside their success on the field this season, each SEC school within the top four has seen impressive ticket prices on the secondary market. Ole Miss controls the highest season average among top-ranked SEC teams while Mississippi State and Auburn trail considerably in price.
According to TiqIQ, Ole Miss football tickets for remaining home games at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium now average $213 on the secondary market. The Rebels will play three more games at home this season against Auburn, Presbyterian College and Mississippi State. The Rebels owe much of their secondary market success to their final game of the season against undefeated Mississippi State on November 29. The average secondary price for Egg Bowl tickets is currently $668.94, one of the most expensive games in college football this season, with a get-in price of $212.
No. 1-ranked Mississippi State may be undefeated heading into Week 10 of the season, but they own a much lower season average than their Magnolia State neighbors in Ole Miss. The average price for Mississippi State football tickets over the team’s final three home games is $140.86 on the secondary market, more than 33% cheaper than Ole Miss tickets at home. The Bulldogs will play Arkansas and UT Martin at Davis Wade Stadium before concluding their regular season with a top-priced game against Vanderbilt, which currently has an average price of $155.08 and a get-in price of $49.
Sitting comfortably as the No. 3-ranked team in the nation, Auburn will play just two more home games in the regular season against Texas A&M and unranked Samford. The average price for Auburn football tickets on the secondary market is $119.05 over the team’s last two home games. Texas A&M has played erratically at best this season but has still produced a relatively big price premium for their visit on November 8. The average secondary market price for Auburn vs Texas A&M tickets is $163.86. Get-in price for the game starts at $57.
According to TeamTix, a service which allows fans to pay a price to reserve face price tickets for both the semifinal and National Championship Game, the SEC school with the most expensive reserve price is still the Alabama Crimson Tide. Alabama came out sixth in the rankings, but especially with the Iron Bowl at home as the last game on the Alabama football schedule, there’s a high chance the Crimson Tide could make the playoffs if they win out. The low price to reserve face value tickets for an Alabama appearance in the College Football Playoff semifinal is $73. Compare that to a $55 price for Mississippi State, $50 for Ole Miss and just $35 for Auburn.
Plenty can happen between now and the committee’s final ranking on December 7, but all three top-ranked SEC teams have dominated on the field and on the secondary ticket market. Come January, they’ll likely do the same when the college football playoffs begin.
A graduate of the University of Florida and founder of Saturday Down South, Kevin is a college football enthusiast.
