I wasn’t going to do one this week because I’ve been traveling (wedding in the Colorado mountains. No I wasn’t consulted about the date). I changed my mind because:
- The ticket market started to shift
- Lots of people asked for an update
- I’ve wanted to get a little editorializing thought out.
NEXT GAME
Colorado is better than we thought but also too much of a flight to convince a lot of Buffs fans to travel last minute. I’ve been in Colorado since Wednesday morning and ran into just one CU fan who wants to talk about this game—and he just wanted confirmation that they’re not awful anymore. This is a scarred populace, and flying to a Delta hub to reopen those wounds isn’t worth it.
As for Michigan fans, the dip is happening because it’s Friday, and because:
With Big Ten season around the corner and two recognizable opponents coming to town to kick it off, the best part of a bad out of conference season isn’t that enticing.
[JUMP for when to buy your Wisconsin tickets and a tale of morality]
BUT IT GETS EXPENSIVE AFTER
The travel situation meant I couldn’t do what I normally do, which is keep a bunch of tabs open and check in on price movement like they’re stocks. So I don’t know when this started to happen but it’s happening: Wisconsin tickets are going up up up up.
That’s $50 higher than at the beginning of the season. The price shoots up quickly after a scroll because the “Get me in the building” tickets are disappearing fast. It’s not hard to guess why: beating LSU woke the Wisconsin fans, who now envision themselves walking into Les Miles’s alma mater and slaying another giant en route to a national championship and Corey Clement Heisman. We tried sending Patrick Barron into the land that thinks it’s a hand to convince them Cam Cameron isn’t Michigan’s offensive coordinator too, but it hasn’t affected the bull market.
Every year programs coming off a bad season pick up momentum from a big nonconference win. Like…sigh…all those times we beat Notre Dame. So right now Wisconsin/MSU/Iowa/Rutgers fans are the Rockford Peaches manager who looks like Tom Hanks, and I am Stilwell.
The upshot for you is if you can’t make the game and are sitting on tickets, please sell them to a Michigan fan. Also: sell them now or wait until Michigan beats Penn State. If you’re trying to get to that game, check in this Sunday. Wisconsin is on a high, and Michigan isn’t likely to lose.
The slate:
| Game | July | Aug | Now | Dips | Buy? | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | $70 | $80 | $45 | $45 | --> | five minutes after the first raindrops |
| Penn State | $110 | $140 | $105 | $105 | now. | PSU fans are at a low after Pitt |
| Wisconsin | $115 | $159 | $175 | n/a | fri b4 | Badgers happy, market up. |
| @Rutgers | $125 | $139 | $118 | $118 | wait. | Yer gonna lose. |
| Illinois (HC) | $85 | $85 | $100 | $85 | wait. | Yer gonna lose. |
| @MSU | $225 | $268 | $256 | $256 | wait. | Yer gonna lose. |
| Maryland | $65 | $54 | $70 | $54 | wait | Yer gonna lose. |
| @Iowa | $85 | $151 | $195 | $175 | wait! | Yer gonna lose? |
| Indiana | $65 | $40 | $55 | $55 | now. | They're gonna win some this year. |
| @Ohio State | $250 | $282 | $275 | $275 | wait. | Please lose? |
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JOHNNY AND BOBBY
Johnny and Bobby are each looking for 2 tickets—don’t have to be great as long as they can get into the game and see it. They’re going with understanding significant others who trust that they can get some tix at a good price.
Johnny is determined to have the cheapest seat in the building. He does everything you’re supposed to do for finding cheap seats:
- Knew the market on Friday.
- Checked craigslist around his house on gameday morning.
- Checked in with family and friends asking if someone had an extra pair.
- Walked down to the stadium, then circled around it then up to campus in the hour before kickoff.
- Hung around Stadium & Main gate until just about kickoff and bugged every non-scalping seller with a lowball offer.
- 10 minutes after kickoff got two tix for just $25 each.
Bobby went online on Friday afternoon, found two tickets for $50 each online in a pretty good location, and went to the bar. He listened to a podcast on his way up, and stopped at Revelli to watch the step-down program:
Then he tailgated with his old roommates for a bit, and went in around 11:20. He watched some warmups, explained BiSB’s funny tweet to his significant other, saw the band take the field, and sang the wrong words to “Varsity.”
Now ask yourself this: if you’re Johnny, would you pay $50 to have Bobby’s morning instead of yours?
I get asked all the time what’s the cheapest way to get tickets. There are cheap ways to get tickets, but they’re not always the best. You are allotted only so many fall Saturdays between the things you must do to survive, and your inevitable failure to do. So don’t forget to factor the value of a football Saturday in Ann Arbor, Michigan into the price of admission.
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BEST DEAL RIGHT NOW (that I can find on the sponsor's site because let's support people who support us okay?)
This would be a steal for Wisconsin or Penn State, but still great for Colorado:
Four seats (two and two) together on the 25 yard line, really close to the entrance/exit/bathrooms.
“FALL” is the latest discount code I know of. It’s for 10% off.
CHEAP TIP:
When buying online, unless it’s a major rivalry game—like Michigan State vs. Michigan and both are undefeated—the day to sell is Tuesday-Wednesday, when responsible people want their plans set. The day to buy is Friday, when selling those unused tickets becomes deadly serious.