SCOTTSDALE, Arizona -- Ticket prices on the secondary market for Clemson vs. Alabama continued to drop Monday, meaning the second College Football Playoff National Championship will likely replace last year's inaugural game as the cheapest ticket in recent national title history.
In the hours leading up to kickoff in Glendale, Arizona, Clemson-Alabama tickets were being sold on StubHub at an average price of $675. The get-in price to buy the cheapest ticket is currently $190. The face value of the ticket is $450, $550 or $650, depending on seat location.
This year’s average price sold on StubHub is well below final numbers for past CFP and BCS Championship Games:
• 2016: Clemson vs. Alabama in Arizona -- $675
• 2015: Oregon vs. Ohio State in Texas -- $807
• 2014: Florida State vs. Auburn in California -- $889
• 2013: Alabama vs. Notre Dame in Florida -- $1,640
• 2012: Alabama vs. LSU in Louisiana -- $1,808
• 2011: Auburn vs. Oregon in Arizona -- $1,154
StubHub said this year's game is the cheapest college title game since the company was acquired by eBay in 2007. Fans who waited for a lower price this year will get a good deal. The average ticket sold on StubHub for Clemson-Alabama was $1,231 on Dec. 31 when the matchup got set, and the price has been dropping ever since.
StubHub spokesman Cameron Papp said this doesn't necessarily signal a drop in demand since sales are only down about 2 percent from Oregon-Ohio State last year.
“I think sellers still haven’t figured out how to price the championship in this new playoff era,” Papp said. “Fans now have to decide whether to attend a semifinal game or risk it and wait for their team to get into the national championship. And if you go to one, you’re most likely not going to the other, unless you have deep pockets. More games with the same teams make it more of a buyers’ market.”
So far the, most expensive ticket sold on StubHub for Clemson-Alabama was $4,685 and the least expensive was $119. StubHub reports that 20 percent of the tickets sold are going to buyers in South Carolina, followed by 9 percent each from Alabama and Arizona.
Follow and read more from Jon Solomon on Facebook and Twitter.
