TickPick Trend Report #2 (2025)

By — Front Office Sports

Posted — December 31, 2025

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The CFP Bowl Game Tickets Everyone Wants

Trend Report

Presented by

The second 12-team College Football Playoff is in full swing. After an exciting first round of games at home venues, the quarterfinals on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day slot the remaining eight championship contenders into four neutral-site matchups:

First-Round Focus

When it came to the first round of the CFP, not all matchups were created equal in the eyes of ticket buyers. While Oregon is a perennial contender, having finished in the top 25 for seven straight seasons, Sun Belt champion James Madison had only ever sniffed the fringes of the rankings. Anticipating the eventual blowout, some fans shunned the game, sending the get-in price plummeting from $175 to $94; the average ticket price was the lowest of any first-round matchup, at $236. It wasn’t the only game that saw a steep drop in get-in prices. The price to get a seat to the rematch between SEC powerhouses Alabama and Oklahoma debuted at $261, then fell 27% to $189. Those on hand to watch Alabama avenge a late-season loss to the Sooners paid an average purchase price of $369 for their seats. Fellow SEC squad Ole Miss proved a harder-to-get ticket, with get-in prices for its matchup with Tulane increasing from $329 at release to $361 before game day. The average purchase price hit $382, making it the most expensive Ole Miss home game ever. Ole Miss fans were duly compensated with the Rebels’ second big win over Tulane this season. But Ole Miss–Tulane wasn’t even close to being the most expensive matchup of the first round. That honor went to 10–2 Miami against 11–1 Texas A&M. At $684, the average purchase price was nearly 289% larger than that of Oregon-JMU. That makes it the second-most-expensive Texas A&M home game on record. In-state fans tried to make the home field advantage count, with 44.7% of purchases coming from within Texas, compared to 27.6% from Florida. Despite the disadvantage, Miami overcame three missed field goals to win 10–3.

Average First-Round Ticket Prices

Click to reveal

Miami vs. Texas A&M

$684

$369

Underdogs Turned Favorites

Indiana enters the College Football Playoff as the country’s sole undefeated team. Led by Heisman-winning QB Fernando Mendoza, it beat fellow playoff team Oregon in Eugene and knocked off No. 2 Ohio State in the Big Ten championship. After going 9–27 from 2021 through 2023, the Hoosiers are 24–2 in their first two seasons under head coach Curt Cignetti and making a second straight CFP appearance. But Indiana and Cignetti have yet to face the SEC. Alabama came into the playoffs as the CFP’s only three-loss team, but used the first round to avenge a loss to Oklahoma. Now the Crimson Tide, who have spent time at No. 1 in the AP poll for 16 of the last 18 seasons, finds itself in unfamiliar territory as the underdogs against No. 1 Indiana. What won’t be unfamiliar territory is the Rose Bowl. This will be Alabama’s third trip to Pasadena in five years. But don’t expect deafening chants of “Roll Tide” out of Southern California. Nearly a quarter of the tickets were bought up by Indianans, while Californians gobbled up more than 18% of the available tickets and Illinois residents grabbed nearly 12%. They paid a premium to get those seats. The get-in price was the highest of any quarterfinal matchup at the outset, at $190, and increased a further 65% to $314 before the start of the first round. The average purchase price of $458 was the second highest of the New Year’s games.

Eye of the Hurricane

The defending national champion Buckeyes come into their quarterfinal matchup smarting from their first loss of the season, a 13–10 nail-biter to Indiana in the Big Ten championship game. It cost them the No. 1 seed, but they still snagged a first-round bye. Quarterback Julian Sayin, who had the best single-season completion rate in FBS history (78.4%), will try to get back on track against a Miami squad that looked right at home in Texas. Miami almost didn’t get into the field, just edging out Notre Dame and becoming the ACC’s only representative after Duke upset Virginia in the ACC championship. Led by Carson Beck—who had the second-best completion rate this year—the Hurricanes showed they deserved a spot. Their defense, which allowed seven fewer points per game than any other ACC squad, held Texas A&M to an underwhelming 3 points in the first round.

Ducks Look for Redemption

Big 12–champ Texas Tech got to the quarterfinals in balanced fashion: scoring the second-most points per game in Division I (42.5) while allowing the third-fewest points per game (10.9). Its buzz-saw defense includes arguably the top linebacker in the country in Jacob Rodriguez alongside Big 12 sacks leader David Bailey. Oregon’s offense is nearly as good as the Red Raiders’, scoring 39.2 points per game, but its defense let in a season-high 34 points at home against JMU in the first round. Sophomore quarterback Dante Moore projects as a first-round NFL draft pick if he chooses to leave. In the meantime, he’s happy to light it up against opposing defenses. He threw for four touchdowns and ran for another in Oregon’s first-round win over JMU. Despite the even matchup between these two schools, average purchase prices to the Orange Bowl are the lowest for any quarterfinal matchup. They currently stand at $389, with a get-in price of $200. Expect a heavily partisan crowd. More than 49% of tickets were bought by Texas residents; less than 3% of ticket buyers hail from Oregon.

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Looking to get in on the college football action—or any other big sporting events coming up?

By — Front Office Sports

Posted — April 25, 2024

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Rose Bowl: No. 1–ranked Indiana vs. No. 9 Alabama

Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 10 Miami

Sugar Bowl: No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Ole Miss

Orange Bowl: No. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 5 Oregon

Tickets to these games began selling at a premium even before the matchups were set, according to data from TickPick, a leading North American ticket marketplace. As an inevitable champion marches toward a ticker-tape parade, Front Office Sports tells the story of the ticket prices—which teams are the biggest draws, which states’ fans are buying them, and how much rates have changed.

$236

Alabama vs. Oklahoma

Tulane vs. Ole Miss

$382

James Madison vs. Oregon

Rose Bowl 2026

VS.

#1 Indiana (13–0)

#9 Alabama (11–3)

Biggest Get-In Price Changes

ROSE BOWL

Before Matchup

$314

after matchup

$213

-32%

cotton BOWL

Before Matchup

$367

after matchup

$103

-71%

Orange BOWL

Before Matchup

$200

after matchup

$110

-45%

Sugar BOWL

Before Matchup

$189

after matchup

$249

31%

Cotton Bowl Classic 2025

#2 Ohio State (12–1)

VS.

#10 Miami (11–2)

Cotton Bowl Purchases by State

As their reward, they get to stay in Texas, driving a few hours up the road to AT&T Stadium. That matchup is the most expensive quarterfinal ticket. When the bracket was first set, the get-in price was $151. It surged 143% to $367, with the average purchase price hitting $538. Two-thirds of those tickets were bought by Texas residents—perhaps anticipating A&M would make it in—compared to just 6.5% for Ohioans.

Orange Bowl 2026

#4 Texas Tech (12–1)

VS.

#5 Oregon (12–1)

Sugar Bowl 2026

#3 Georgia (12–1)

VS.

#6 Ole Miss (12–1)

A Classic SEC Showdown

Ole Miss demolished Tulane 41–10 in the first round, nearly replicating its 45–10 week 4 win over the Green Wave—and without Lane Kiffin. The victory gave Ole Miss its first 12-win season in program history. Now the Rebels are hoping to rev up their high-powered offense—second in the country in total yards—and avenge their only loss of the season, a 43–35 defeat at Georgia. As for the Bulldogs, it’s been business as usual. Kirby Smart’s team won its third SEC championship in four seasons and heads into the CFP for the fourth time in five years. The only black mark on its 2025 season was an early-season loss to Alabama. It was duly rewarded with a bye week and a relatively short trip to New Orleans, although Ole Miss has an even shorter trip in this SEC rematch. You wouldn’t exactly call the Sugar Bowl showdown affordable, but it is the cheapest ticket of any quarterfinal; $189 will get you in the door. Average ticket prices are quite a bit more, however, with fans paying $454—a 7% increase since the bracket was announced. Anticipating a spot in the quarterfinals, Mississippians bought nearly 10% of available tickets. They’ll likely be dwarfed by Georgia fans; 39% of ticket purchases came from the Peach State.

66.1%

Texas

OHIO

California

NORTH CAROLINA

colorado

6.5%

3.2%

1.6%

Highest Get-In Price

Click to reveal

Cotton Bowl

$367

Rose Bowl

$314

Orange Bowl

$200

Sugar Bowl

$189

Use code FOS10 for $10 off any order over $99

Get-In Price Movement

ROSE BOWL

Before Matchup

$213

after matchup

$124

-42%

cotton BOWL

Before Matchup

$103

after matchup

$50

-51%

Orange BOWL

Before Matchup

$110

after matchup

$50

-55%

Sugar BOWL

Before Matchup

$249

after matchup

$209

-16%

Indiana enters the College Football Playoff as the country’s sole undefeated team. Led by Heisman–winning QB Fernando Mendoza, it beat fellow playoff team Oregon in Eugene and knocked off No. 2 Ohio State in the Big Ten championship. After going 9–27 from 2021 through 2023, the Hoosiers are 24–2 in their first two seasons under head coach Curt Cignetti and making a second-straight CFP appearance. But Indiana and Cignetti have yet to face the SEC. Alabama came into the playoffs as the CFP’s only three-loss team, but used the first round to avenge a loss to Oklahoma. Now the Crimson Tide, which has spent time at No. 1 in the AP poll for 16 of the past 18 seasons, finds itself in unfamiliar territory as the underdogs against No. 1 Indiana What won’t be unfamiliar territory is the Rose Bowl. This will be Alabama’s third trip to Pasadena in five years. But don’t expect deafening chants of “Roll Tide” out of Southern California. Nearly a quarter of the tickets were bought up by Indianans, while Californians snatched more than 18% of the available tickets and Illinois residents grabbed nearly 12%. The get-in price is $213—it’s $32% less expensive than the get-in price of $314 before the matchup was set before the start of the first round.

Biggest YOY Increase in Average Purchase Price

Bills

$206

$308

+49%

Colts

$155

$214

+38%

Bears

$306

$414

+35%

Commanders

$218

$294

+35%

Rose Bowl 2026

#1 Indiana (13–0)

VS.

#9 Alabama (11–3)

Rose Bowl 2026

#1 Indiana (13–0)

VS.

#9 Alabama (11–3)

Rose Bowl 2026

#1 Indiana (13–0)

VS.

#9 Alabama (11–3)

First-Round Focus

Average First-Round Ticket Prices

Tap to reveal

Miami vs. Texas A&M

$684

Tulane vs. Ole Miss

$382

Alabama vs. Oklahoma

$369

James Madison vs. Oregon

$236

Looking to get in on the college football action—or any other big sporting events coming up?

2024

2025

Biggest Get-In Price Changes

BEFORE MATCHUP

AFTER MATCHUP

ROSE BOWL

$314

$213

-32%

COTTON BOWL

$367

$103

-71%

ORANGE BOWL

$200

$110

-45%

SUGAR BOWL

$189

$294

+31%