HOUSTON — The head of content for the online marketplace TickPick says tickets to the College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan. 8 could be among the most expensive on record.
On Friday, ticket prices to get into the championship game between the Michigan Wolverines and Washington Huskies were around $1,000. Tickets to last year's national championship were selling for an average of $400.
Tickets would have been more expensive had the Texas Longhorns beat the Washington Huskies in the Sugar Bowl, according to Kyle Zorn with TickPick, which tracks ticket prices and inventory.
"There was a lot of volatility during the semi-finals. Had Texas beat Washington, it would have been an extremely expensive ticket," he said.
Since the matchup between the Huskies and Wolverines was determined, ticket prices have dropped about 60%, according to Zorn.
Ticket prices are expected to continue to drop due to several factors, including increased inventory. Zorn said the best time to buy a ticket will likely be Sunday.
"That's going to give you the most availability and probably going to be the floor of where prices will be on Monday," he said.
Sports fans, according to Zorn, tend to wait until the last minute to buy tickets. That could cause prices to pop back up again for those who wait until the very last minute.
Kickoff for the College Football Playoff Championship between the Michigan Wolverines and Washington Huskies is scheduled for 4:45 p.m. on Jan. 8.
ESPN begins coverage of the game at 11 a.m. PT with "College Football Live," followed by "Championship Drive" at noon. Then at 2 p.m., "College Game Day" starts and will be followed by even more pregame coverage until kickoff at 4:45 p.m.
The Huskies are looking to win the school's first national championship in the College Football Playoff era. The last UW title was in 1991.
Michigan, the No. 1 seed, is the favorite to win the game. There have only been three upsets in the history of the College Football Playoff, according to ESPN, and none in the championship game. One of those three upsets was Washington's win in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day.
The Wolverines will become a conference rival of the Huskies beginning in the fall of 2024 when Washington joins the Big Ten.