Ticket prices soar for Miami-Indiana national championship game in South Florida
The College Football Playoff title game will be played in the Hurricanes' home stadium, with Miami native Fernando Mendoza leading Indiana
You’re going to have to pay a pretty penny to watch Fernando Mendoza lead the Indiana Hoosiers in the College Football Playoff championship game in his hometown — against the hometown Miami Hurricanes.
The lowest ticket prices to get into Hard Rock Stadium for the Jan.19 game were listed by Ticketmaster at $3,796.65 for nosebleed seats as of Saturday afternoon. That is likely a far cry from the last time the Hurricanes played a national championship at home in South Florida in 1992, at the end of the 1991 season. While it’s not a perfect comparison, tickets for the 1992 Super Bowl held in Minneapolis a few weeks later went for $150, according to Yahoo Sports.
According to an analysis by TicketIQ, the get-in price is up 54% since before Miami and Indiana won their CFP semifinal games this week. Mid-level to lower-bowl has several sections in the $5,000-$10,000 price range, while the overall average ticket price is up 24% to an average asking price of $6,382, according to TicketIQ.
The closest recent comparison is the 2018 CFP national title game between Georgia and Alabama. Then, get-in prices peaked around $1,400-$1,600, according to TicketIQ, which was less than half of this game’s floor in pricing.
For those who don’t mind splurging and want to sit on the bottom row on the 50-yard line, tickets ranged around $14,000 on Ticketmaster.
While any national championship would garner intrigue, this one has several strong connections to the South Florida region in particular. First, Mendoza, the Heisman winner, grew up only a few miles from the University of Miami and attended Christopher Columbus High School. Second, the hometown Hurricanes are vying for college football’s biggest prize in the same stadium they play their regular-season home games.
Of course, this is far from the first time Miami has played for a national title in its own backyard. The Hurricanes’ national championship-winning seasons in 1983, ’87, and ’91 all ended victoriously on home turf at the old Orange Bowl.
Hoosiers fans have also traveled well throughout the College Football Playoff. Crimson and cream took over the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on New Year’s Day, as well as the Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Friday night.
While excitement will assuredly radiate throughout Miami, it’ll take a small fortune to witness the game live in the stadium.