Sports

Conference Title Ticket Prices Plummet As Interest Dwindles Following CFP Expansion

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A College Football Playoff logo on a helmet.

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College football continues to near its first edition of an expanded playoff where 12 teams will battle for the right to be called national champions. While anticipation for the final ranking is at an all-time high, the leadup to that postseason tournament has taken a hit.

Conference title games are set to take place on Saturday. Typically, there is incredible incentive to win these contests. This year, that’s not the case!

Conference championship matchups are ring games. In the past, they’ve been critical in determining the sport’s top team. Win your league, on top of having a great season, and the likelihood of playing for a national title goes up.

That outlook changed a bit when the four-team College Football playoff was introduced as we saw schools without those conference championships make the postseason field. Still, there was something to be said for holding that league title.

In 2024, however, half of the field will be represented by those programs who finished second, or even third in their respective conferences. It’s made this upcoming weekend feel almost meaningless!

Earlier this season, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin suggested that some SEC teams hoped to avoid playing in the conference title. They didn’t want the risk of suffering another loss given the College Football Playoff implications. CFP commissioner Warde Manuel only fueled that fire on Tuesday when he suggested that a team who loses its title game could be punished with playoff omission.

SMU plays a three-loss Clemson team in the ACC Championship. For the Tigers, there is plenty of motivation. A win keeps slim national title hopes alive! For the Mustangs, it’s lose-lose.

First, they have to play an extra game as opposed to resting in preparation for the playoff. Second, a loss could take them out of the field completely! “Potentially, yes,” said Manuel when asked if SMU’s resume would be re-evaluated with a loss to Clemson. The committee’s already shown it will rank a three-loss SEC team (Alabama) over a two-loss ACC squad (Miami).

The scenario gives SMU incentive to forfeit the game completely and force the committee to judge solely off of the regular season – even if it means giving up the chance for league bragging rights. It seems nobody wants to play for conference title!

… And college football fans don’t want to watch them, either!

Ticket prices have been trending on social media for the Power 4 matchups. Those include massive meetings between Georgia-Texas and Oregon-Penn State. Unfortunately, there isn’t much interest to attend in person.

Big Ten Championship tickets are going for less than $15. Absolute absurdity! There are other factors that play into this, some which involve realignment and proximity. The game will be played in Indianapolis. That’s about an eight-hour drive from Penn State. Oregon fans, meanwhile, would have to hop on a cross-country flight.

CFP expansion, though, also plays a part. Both teams will make the field, win or lose. The game doesn’t really matter outside of seeding. In fact, the loser of the game will likely wind up hosting a playoff game in Round 1. Fans are saving their money for that opportunity instead.

It’s not just the Big Ten that’s seen ticket prices that decrease. Only the SEC sees a price over $100, and that may be inflated due to Georgia’s inclusion with the game being played in Atlanta.

This weekend will be important for Iowa State and Arizona State. It’s win and get in. That could be why the Big 12 game is the second-most highly priced. The weekend will also be important for Clemson. The rest of the P4 field could care less – fans included!

Conference championships have become an afterthought in the current college football landscape. It will be interesting to see if leagues do away with them altogether in the near future.