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.
Sun Belt teams beat Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Nebraska last Saturday. It was a great reminder of the unpredictability of college football, as shock took over three of the sport’s biggest fan bases at the hands of a few plucky underdogs. What does Week 3 of the season have in store for us? Here are the biggest matchups and most in-demand seats for this weekend’s slate.
1. Miami at Texas A&M, Sept. 17, 9 p.m. ET
Kyle Field, College Station, Texas
Demand Meter: 😍
This game lost some of its luster when the Aggies got stunned by Appalachian State last weekend, but it’s still the headliner of Week 3. There’s renewed pressure on Jimbo Fisher to get a big win after last weekend’s debacle that likely knocked A&M out of the College Football Playoff conversation, and knocking off a top-15 Miami team would certainly help. The Hurricanes have heated up in recruiting since hiring coach Mario Cristobal, and QB Tyler Van Dyke gives the ‘Canes a chance to compete at the top of the ACC this season.
Want to be one of the more than 100,000 fans at Kyle Field for this one? Per SI Tickets, the average ticket price is $439, the third-highest among games this weekend.
2. Penn State at Auburn, Sept. 17, 3:30 p.m. ET
Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Ala.
Demand Meter: 😍
For the first time ever, Jordan-Hare Stadium will play host to a Big Ten opponent. It’s a rather remarkable nugget that adds even more intrigue to this big Week 3 clash pitting two iconic brands. It’s a critical game for Auburn coach Bryan Harsin, who was nearly pushed out after one season last winter and tops the list of potential next vacancies after Nebraska fired Scott Frost this week. Meanwhile, Penn State already has a good win in its pocket at Purdue but could use a signature non-conference victory to boost its bowl game hopes.
With tickets listed at nearly $460 on average per SI Tickets, fans are clearly eager to see this huge showdown.
3. BYU at Oregon, Sept. 17, 3:30 p.m. ET
Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Ore.
Demand Meter: 😍
All the upsets last weekend somewhat overshadowed a wild finish between BYU and Baylor that ended with the Cougars adding a top-10 win to its résumé. Kalani Sitake’s team gets another chance at a needle-moving victory on the road in Eugene Saturday. Oregon got embarrassed in Week 1 by Georgia and played an FCS team in Week 2, so the Ducks feel like a virtual unknown at this point. But the QB battle between Bo Nix and Jaren Hall is still intriguing. SI Tickets lists the cheapest tickets for this one at just below $50.
4. Georgia at South Carolina, Sept. 17, noon ET
Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C.
Demand Meter: 😍
Spencer Rattler and South Carolina get a huge opportunity Saturday hosting the No. 1 team and defending national champion Georgia. Could a massive upset be in the works? It would take a remarkable performance from Rattler, who’ll be tasked with moving the ball against the Bulldogs’ stout defense. Plus, a South Carolina defensive unit that gave up 44 points to Arkansas last weekend will have to play much better. But hey, it’s college football, and stranger things have happened in raucous atmospheres like Williams-Brice is sure to be. To be a part of it, the average ticket price per SI Tickets is just under $200 per ticket.
5. Oklahoma at Nebraska, Sept 17, 12 p.m. ET
Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Neb.
Demand Meter: 😀
It has been a tumultuous week at Nebraska, which moved on from Scott Frost on Sunday after a bad home loss to Georgia Southern. Enter interim coach and former Husker QB Mickey Joseph, who gets quite the first test against the No. 6 Sooners. There’s plenty of history between these two storied programs, mostly tied to a 1971 meeting some consider to be the “Game of the Century.” Logic suggests this one won’t be close: Nebraska has looked terrible this season on defense and the Sooners haven’t missed a beat. But the Cornhuskers have the home crowd on their side and a new voice leading the team can’t hurt. The team will extend its sellout streak to a remarkable 385 games in this one, and the average ticket price per SI Tickets is the highest of Week 3 at $586.
6. Michigan State at Washington, Sept 17, 7:30 p.m. ET
Husky Stadium, Seattle, Wash.
Demand Meter: 😀
Washington looks much improved in its first year under Kalen DeBoer, with transfer QB Michael Penix (Indiana) reinvigorating an offense that really struggled last season. Penix faces a former division rival in Michigan State ranked No. 11 in the most recent AP Poll. Can he lead his new team to an upset that would likely vault the Huskies into the national rankings? A second straight trip to a New Year’s Six bowl might ride on a win Saturday for the Spartans. On average, tickets to see this one live at one of the coolest venues in college football are listed at just over $200, per SI Tickets.
7. Florida State at Louisville, Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m. ET
Cardinal Stadium, Louisville, Ky.
Demand Meter: 😀
This Friday night matchup kicks off the weekend in college football and is a game both coaches could really use to cool their respective seats. Mike Norvell is in an important year at Florida State after missing a bowl game in back-to-back seasons to start his tenure, but winning Week 1 in New Orleans against LSU was a nice feather in his cap. Meanwhile, Scott Satterfield’s seat heated up after getting blown out by Syracuse in Week 1, but the Cards responded well with an impressive road win over UCF last Friday.
8. Mississippi State at LSU, Sept. 17, 6 p.m. ET
Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, La.
Demand Meter: 🙂
It’s Brian Kelly’s first SEC game since taking over in Baton Rouge, an in-division showdown with a 2–0 Mississippi State team fresh off a blowout road win at Arizona. The Tigers cruised past FCS Southern last weekend after a Week 1 debacle that featured muffed punts, blocked PATs, and assorted sloppiness that hurt them in their opener against Florida State. Nighttime in Death Valley is one of the toughest atmospheres in college football, but we’ll see if that’s enough to lift LSU across the finish line in this key early-season test.
Per SI Tickets, the average ticket price to join the party in Baton Rouge Saturday is just over $180.
9. Texas Tech at NC State, Sept. 17, 7 p.m. ET
Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, N.C.
Demand Meter: 🙂
First-year coach Joey McGuire has Texas Tech trending up after a double-overtime win over Houston last Saturday, but knocking off ACC contender NC State would really send the hype train in Lubbock into overdrive. The Wolfpack barely snuck past East Carolina in Week 1 before rolling past an overmatched Charleston Southern last week. Now, Dave Doeren’s club gets its a tough test against the Red Raiders and dynamic QB Donovan Smith. Can the Pack get a big win and propel themselves into the top 15 nationally?
10. Fresno State at USC, Sept. 17, 10:30 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, Calif.
Demand Meter: 🙂
The Lincoln Riley era at USC is off to a roaring start, as the Trojans have now scored 107 points in two games to open the season. This nighttime test against Fresno State might be tricky though: The Bulldogs can really score and have an explosive QB in Jake Haener who led Fresno to 10 wins a season ago. Fresno likely doesn’t have quite enough firepower to beat this USC team, but they could still make things interesting after upsetting UCLA a season ago.
