College Football: Big Wins = Rising Ticket Prices 

The first few weeks of college football are already reshaping the ticket market. Average Ticket Price (ATP) snapshots from Week 1 to Week 3 show a familiar pattern: programs that are stacking early wins—or grabbing the national spotlight—are seeing ticket prices jump. Teams that stumble out of the gate see prices cool. 

Whether a team picks up an early ranked win or simply meets lofty expectations with an undefeated start ahead of conference play, one thing is for certain: momentum matters. Fans revise expectations fast, and the checkout page follows. 

Who’s Rising 

Many of the teams with rising ATPs week to week have been winning games, while others are off to slower starts, but are intriguing brands: 

• Texas Longhorns: $300.54 → $392.21 (+30.5%) 

• Georgia Bulldogs: $354.52 → $408.21 (+15.2%) 

• Florida Gators: $190.23 → $262.45 (+38.0%) 

• Auburn Tigers: $173.16 → $250.38 (+44.6%) 

• Colorado Buffaloes: $168.10 → $239.96 (+42.8%) 

• USC Trojans: $133.22 → $193.62 (+45.3%) 

• BYU Cougars: $125.76 → $169.58 (+34.9%) 

• Florida State Seminoles: $109.65 → $138.51 (+26.3%) 

Despite early season losses from Texas (2-1) and Colorado (1-2), their demand is rising for other reasons. Colorado is set to host Wyoming, which is a great geographical matchup in Boulder. Texas, on the other hand, lost a road game at No. 1 Ohio State, and has one of the strongest brands in the country. 

Some of the biggest percentage gains start from lower bases (e.g., Louisiana-Monroe: $18.00 → $27.78, +54.3%), but the direction is the same: early momentum lifts willingness to pay higher prices. 

Who’s cooling 

A few brands softened in this window, suggesting tempered expectations or less compelling near-term home slates: 

• Notre Dame Fighting Irish: $309.10 → $256.88 (–16.9%) 

• North Carolina Tar Heels: $217.09 → $188.94 (–13.0%) 

• Michigan Wolverines: $246.42 → $226.85 (–7.9%) 

• Army West Point Black Knights: $274.49 → $259.12 (–5.6%) 

• Northwestern Wildcats: $214.76 → $213.27 (–0.7%) 

Notre Dame has seen the largest drop in ATP, which stems from a surprising 0-2 start after back-to-back losses to ranked opponents. The Irish still hold one of the more polarizing brands in all of college football, and their ATP is still in the upper echelon of the sport. 

North Carolina (2-1) has also seen a drop, with that most likely attributed to the matchup with Clemson losing some of its juice after the Tigers lost 2 of their first 3 games this season. 

Why wins move price 

• Rankings & expectations: A statement win resets season outlook—and urgency to “be there.” 

• Matchup gravity: Momentum creates bigger-stage home dates (ranked vs. ranked) that carry a premium price tag. 

• Attention spillover: Viral plays and TV windows expand the buyer pool beyond the core fan base. 

ATP isn’t only about the scoreboard, though. There are many other important factors that move ticket prices. Opponent quality, kickoff time and weather all play key roles in determining ticket value for fans. That being said, a winning program is, in most cases, going to take a front seat to all other factors.  

Methodology: comparison of Average Ticket Price (ATP) on 9/2 vs. 9/15 from Tickets For Less marketplace data.