MgoReader Sourced Ticket Watch
We haven't had a Ticket Watch since Oct 2, and a lot has changed since then (i.e., EVERYTHING HAS BEEN AWESOME!). I e-mailed Brian/Seth a couple days ago to request another, but I know they're super busy what with all the awesomeness to describe and analyze.
My predicament is that I'm meeting up with a few buddies for the Minnesota game. The advice from the last Ticket Watch was to buy them at the game, but prices have gone up significantly since then as this game has likely become a marquee home game for them. I'm thinking if Michigan wins this weekend the prices will only continue to rise (especially if Minn wins, but probably either way), so I'm thinking of playing it safe and buying now, especially since this is the only game I'm going to catch in person this year and would like to have decent seats. Also there will be four of us who would like to sit together, so I'm thinking finding four decent seats together before the game would be even trickier. Curious what others would do.
Also figured others may have similar questions about other games, so this might be a good thread to ask for and receive thoughts/advice.
October 14th, 2015 at 5:16 PM ^
October 14th, 2015 at 8:14 PM ^
Honestly, if Michigan knocks off MSU this weekend, I expect pretty much every seat in the stadium to be "among fellow Michigan fans." Even if Minny beats Nebraska this weekend, there's not that much for the fans to be excited about. (Both teams have a bye on the 24th). They love the Little Brown Jug, but they've got to know that it'll be returning to Ann Arbor this season. Every available seat is going to be filled with a Michigan fan.
That said -- Michigan definitely needs to take care of business this weekend or the ticket market is going to get much softer.
October 14th, 2015 at 8:21 PM ^
October 14th, 2015 at 10:06 PM ^
Actually, yes, I am. :-) I haven't made a purchase yet, but I was looking to end up behind Michigan's bench. In general, at road games I've attended (e.g., Maryland), that's where most of the fans congreate. At the Maryland game, I'd say it was 30%+ Michigan fans in attendance, and close to 100% in the sections immediately behind Michigan's bench.
October 14th, 2015 at 3:45 PM ^
Buy high; see game.
Buy low; see game.
The common denominator: buy. Without that you see no game.
The End.
October 14th, 2015 at 3:53 PM ^
This is one of the years that might have finally broken the trend of "wait until the last moment", especially if you need pairs or fours or specific seats (like sidelines or low rows).
October 14th, 2015 at 4:03 PM ^
That's what I was thinking. I'm sure I can find a way to be ok with that type of first world problem!
October 14th, 2015 at 4:21 PM ^
I had 2 sets of Ohio State tickets and one set of Rutgers tickets for sale on Stubhub waaaay above face value and all three sets sold this weekend! I was shocked at how quickly they sold since I wasn't even trying to unload them. I just wanted to have them listed so I could adjust the price down if I decided not to go. I live out of state and was just waiting to see what the game times were going to be before I booked my travel. Crazy.
October 14th, 2015 at 5:49 PM ^
You are correct in thinking prices will much more likely rise than fall. With the game being just over 2 weeks away, the hype will likely continue to build and tickets will be even more in demand. And I fully agree with your thinking on buying now rather than waiting---it's hard to find larger quantities of seats together on the street outside the stadium. You'd probably have to get two sets of two if you wait and scour the streets for tickets the day of the game, or pay through the nose if you happen upon the needed quantity. Especially if you are wearing Maize and Blue.
An alternative to StubHub that you might want to consider, due to the quantity you need: Vivid Seats.com. They handle ticket sales for the Minnesota Athletic department; go online there, you can choose your own seats by section and by row and seat, as they have a real-time map of available seats that updates frequently. The alternative is to be at the mercy of the sellers on StubHub, where you might/might not find seats to your liking.
Right now, for a pair (which I need) on Stubhub, I see a few sets of two tickets that would be just a bit cheaper than face value, but might not seat me in with other Michigan fans. I want to "pull the trigger" on my tickets before this Saturday.
October 14th, 2015 at 5:58 PM ^
Thanks! I was gonna use Tiqiq with th mgoradio 10% off special, but will definitely take a look on vivid seats before I make my purchase.
October 14th, 2015 at 8:26 PM ^
October 15th, 2015 at 12:25 AM ^
I just spent about 2 hours scouring various sites, and almost pulled the trigger on seats in section 210 row 2 for $149 until the last page of the checkout informed me of $40 in service fees per ticket. Ended up going with section 210 (between the 40 and the 50, Michigan side) row 30. It's about half the size of Michigan stadium so I figured that can't be too bad, and I'd rather be up high in the middle than low in the endzone or corner.
Tiqiq directed me to Seat Smart, which only has a $10 service fee for the entire order. I couldn't figure out how to use the tiqiq promo code, but I think I got a pretty good deal (similar tickets were going for upwards of $200).
Good luck with your search! Hopefully someone will start a "fun things to do in Minneapolis" thread as the game approaches, as my friends and I have never been there.
BTW, I'm also a Rob F.
October 15th, 2015 at 12:28 PM ^
October 15th, 2015 at 12:33 PM ^
Vivid Seats. They seemed to have some tickets that I didn't see on tiqiq (sec 210 row 2), and I was ready to pay $149 for them until I saw the crazy fees on the final "confirm purchase" screen.
October 14th, 2015 at 6:13 PM ^
October 14th, 2015 at 7:24 PM ^
October 15th, 2015 at 1:09 PM ^