Demand Rankings is Sports Illustrated’s weekly look at the games and sports events that are driving the most demand for tickets across sports, including college football, NFL, NBA, golf, tennis and more. Here’s this week’s list of the most sought-after seats in college football.
What a week we have to look forward to in college football. For the first time in 29 years and just the second time ever, three games between teams 5–0 or better will be played on the same day. These are the types of Saturdays that decide whose seasons will end early and who will head to the College Football Playoff. Want to catch one of these high-profile conference clashes? Here’s a look at the biggest matchups and most in-demand seats for this weekend.
Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tenn.
Demand Meter: 😍
This is the biggest game in a long time at Neyland Stadium. The No. 6 Vols have their highest national ranking since 2005, and now get their crack at Alabama on their home field. Josh Heupel’s team walked into a potential trap game against LSU in Baton Rouge and passed the test with flying colors, as QB Hendon Hooker added a few highlights to his Heisman Trophy reel and the Tennessee defense held strong.
Can Tennessee put itself into the College Football Playoff picture with a huge win? Alabama struggled to put away Texas A&M Saturday with backup QB Jalen Milroe stepping in for the injured Bryce Young. Still, Nick Saban hasn’t lost to Tennessee since taking over in Tuscaloosa, and only two of those 15 games have been decided by one score. This should be one of the best atmospheres and could be one of the best games of the season… which is why it’s no surprise the average ticket price on SI Tickets is $871, highest of the week by far. Ahead of Week 7, Tennessee’s National Championship ticket prices have also increased by 46%.
Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Demand Meter: 😍
The Big Ten East race official ramps up this weekend in Ann Arbor. Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State all rank in the top 10 of the AP Poll, but only one of those teams will get to the Big Ten Championship Game in December. Michigan’s offense hasn’t looked quite as explosive since Big Ten play began, but Blake Corum remains one of the best running backs in the nation and the Wolverine defense is as fierce as ever. On the other side, Penn State is off to an undefeated start thanks to a talented stable of running backs and a veteran QB in Sean Clifford.
It’s hard to overstate the implications of this one considering both teams still have matchups with Ohio State ahead of them. The average get-in price for this one is just over $400, per SI Tickets.
Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas
Demand Meter: 😍
The only two remaining undefeated teams in the Big 12 face off in this mid-afternoon showdown. Sonny Dykes has sparked a quick turnaround at TCU, including a back-and-forth road victory at upstart Kansas over the weekend. A big reason for the Horned Frogs’ improvement: The play of QB Max Duggan, who accounted for four touchdowns Saturday and now has 14 TD passes compared to just one interception on the season. Can Duggan and a raucous home crowd lift the Horned Frogs past the No. 8 Cowboys? The fans certainly think so—TCU’s Big 12 Championship prices have increased by 206%, according to SI Tickets.
4. USC at Utah, Oct. 15, 8 p.m. ET
Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah
Demand Meter: 😀
Utah has been somewhat disappointing this season, dropping its second game of the season over the weekend against UCLA. But with an experienced QB in Cam Rising in a historically difficult place to play, this profiles as perhaps the biggest test of the season for Lincoln Riley and USC.
The Pac-12 looks wide-open right now, with USC, UCLA and Oregon all undefeated in league play and Utah right behind them with one loss. For the Utes to seriously contend for a second straight conference title, they likely need to pull off this upset. But slowing down Caleb Williams figures to be a challenge after giving up 42 points to UCLA on Saturday.
JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Demand Meter: 😀
You might not have circled this game on your calendar in the preseason, but we’ve got a mid-October top-20 matchup in upstate New York with implications in the ACC Atlantic division. Syracuse is off to a 5–0 start, but now faces the meat of its schedule with matchups with the Wolfpack and Clemson looming in back-to-back weeks. Even one win would be a major needle-mover nationally for the Orange, and two wins would make Dino Babers’ team the favorite in the ACC title race. One storyline to watch: NC State’s QB situation after veteran starter Devin Leary left with an arm injury in Saturday’s win against Florida State.
Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Ill.
Demand Meter: 😀
Illinois is making moves in the second year of the Bret Bielema era, beating Big Ten West stalwarts Wisconsin and Iowa in back-to-back weeks. Could the Illini really go to the Big Ten Championship Game? One more win this weekend, and that starts to become a reality. In fact, Big Ten conference championship ticket prices for Illinois have increased 152% ahead of Week 7, according to SI Tickets.
Minnesota dropped a key matchup with Purdue two weeks ago but is also a top contender in the West. The matchup to watch in this one: Minnesota’s running game averages almost 250 yards per game led by star back Mohamed Ibrahim, while Illinois has the best scoring defense in college football. Don’t expect much scoring, but this matchup should be worth watching.
Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Fla.
Demand Meter: 😀
Florida State’s hopes of a breakthrough season have been spoiled by consecutive losses to fellow ACC hopefuls Wake Forest and NC State, but Mike Norvell’s team does get a huge opportunity at home Saturday night against Clemson. The Tigers had some nervy moments earlier against Boston College before pulling away, but this figures to be an even tougher road test for D.J. Uiagalelei’s team. After last week’s win, Clemson’s ACC Conference Championship ticket prices increased by 40%. We’ll see if Jordan Travis can lead the Seminoles to a season-defining upset or if the Noles will fade into true “pretender” status in the ACC race. The average ticket price for this one on SI Tickets is $160.
Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas
Demand Meter: 🙂
After a record-setting display on both sides of the ball in a rivalry win over Oklahoma, Texas is thinking big in the Big 12 title race. But hopes of this being the year Texas returns to contender status rely on taking care of business in matchups like this, against an Iowa State team that has lost three straight. The Cyclones aren’t your typical 3–3 team, having lost those three games by one, three and seven points respectively. Still, a struggling Cyclone offense that has scored one total touchdown in the last two weeks with Quinn Ewers, Bijan Robinson and the explosive Texas offense on the other side. The average get-in price for this Big 12 showdown is just under $100 on SI Tickets.
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Fla.
Demand Meter: 🙂
When these two teams face off, it’s almost always close. Eight of the last 10 meetings have been decided by one score or less, including last year’s 49–42 offensive explosion. But both teams have new coaches and new quarterbacks from last year’s meeting, and each side has plenty to play for in the SEC standings. LSU took its first conference loss of the season Saturday against Tennessee, while Florida wants to stay in the mix in the SEC East after knocking off Missouri over the weekend.
Tickets are on sale for an average of $171, per SI Tickets.
Kroger Field, Lexington, Ky.
Demand Meter: 🙂
With backup quarterback Kaiya Sheron stepping in for potential No. 1 overall pick Will Levis, Kentucky’s offense sputtered in a devastating home loss to South Carolina. That defeat takes a lot of wind out of the Wildcats’ sails in the SEC race, and the road doesn’t get any easier against a ranked Mississippi State team that has played excellent football lately. Can the Cowboys get a big win heading into a road trip to Alabama next week, or will Kentucky get back on track?
More College Football Coverage:
• Bowl Projections: Playoff Gets an SEC Shuffle
• Heisman Race Is Coming Into Focus
• Oklahoma, Texas Reverberations From Red River
