Michigan vs OSU ticket advice
This is the first time I'm posting here, so if I should be asking this somewhere else please point me in the right direction!
I'm from Maryland but I'm a big Michigan football fan. My 30th birthday is the day after this year's OSU game (stupid leap year) and I am planning on celebrating by going to my first UM game. I wanted to get some decent tickets and I was hoping to get some advice on when and where to get them. Should I order them now from a site like Stubhub, or wait until I get in town the weekend of the game?
Any advice on fun stuff to do in Ann Arbor for the weekend is welcome too! Thanks.
February 26th, 2009 at 3:37 PM ^
First, I would say the sooner the better. Waiting until you get into town will either see you paying out your ass (even more so than you already will) or not getting tickets at all. UM-OSU is a hot commodity, so expect to pay a pretty penny. You probably won't be able to be too picky about seats, so don't be.
I would go on stubhub as soon as tickets are out and grab something as soon as you can.
February 26th, 2009 at 3:47 PM ^
The tickets don't come out until August.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:31 PM ^
There are some E-bayers selling them now, although you won't get the physical ticket until the week before the game.
February 26th, 2009 at 3:47 PM ^
I recommend taking out a loan.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:00 PM ^
They're selling tickets on Stubhub now. I figure they're probably season ticket holders or something who sell early and send the actual tickets after they come out in August. The tickets I was looking at are $450-$600 each. I knew they weren't cheap, that's why I've been waiting so long to go!
Thanks WolvinLA, I'll probably buy sooner than later.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:06 PM ^
oh..well then, I didn't know you could get tickets before August. They don't mail them until August, was my point.
February 26th, 2009 at 5:34 PM ^
Dear sir,
Can I have ALL of your tickets? Now?
Thanks a million!
60
February 26th, 2009 at 4:09 PM ^
I sincerely doubt tickets will go much higher than that, so I would wait at least a bit. Right now people just throw really high prices up to see if someone will bite. At some point I bet you'll see something in the 200 range, maybe 300. Even if we suck no one will let one go for below 200 bucks.
February 26th, 2009 at 6:46 PM ^
I've found student tickets for 100 dollars twice--2003 and 2007 games. Not sure if non-student tickets are at the same rate.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:16 PM ^
I agree with Wolvie for the most part, but it also depends on where these $450-600 seats are located. What's the section and row?
February 26th, 2009 at 4:26 PM ^
$545 gets section 21 row 22. Those sound pretty good. $471 gets section 20 row 68 I think. Are those worth it?
February 26th, 2009 at 4:30 PM ^
Sec 21 Row 22 are pretty good seats man. $545 per seat? I would never drop $1100 on a pair of football tickets, but I'm cheap...and poor.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:41 PM ^
Neither would a couple guys that are coming along! Me and the other UM fan are willing to do it, but the other guys are just coming because it's my bday and UM vs OSU is such a big game. They said if I spend that much, they're sitting somewhere else.
I'm cheap until it comes to something I really want. For my 30th, I want these tix. My shoes and jeans have holes in them and I only care a little. Priorities man!
February 26th, 2009 at 4:42 PM ^
In the Big House most sections have good vantage points. You just want to avoid being too low. When I need extra tickets, I will not get tickets below row 30. My season tickets are in the end zone and I think my section is a lot more fun. I have always avoided paying extra to move to the side lines. Sitting next to the old folks in between the 40's will only set you up to get yelled at if you stand up.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:03 PM ^
you could take a gamble and wait until the middle of the season and if we're 3-4 and looking like that game will be meaningless you might be able to get them for a decent price (still above face).
I can't imagine Michigan-OSU tickets were that much in 2008.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:35 PM ^
Prices will go up if we do well and down if we play like last year. It's as simple as that, and depending on your belief for this upcoming season, plan accordingly.
In any case, I would at least wait until September, when students get tickets and realize they can sell them for good beer money!
February 26th, 2009 at 4:24 PM ^
$300 sounds better than $500. Maybe I'll wait a few months and see if they come down a little. I'm not too picky about the seats, but I'd rather sit sideline than corner or end zone if I can help it. Then again, I've never been to the Big House so those seats might not be as bad as I think they are.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:37 PM ^
I've been to every UM v OSU game since 1995, home and away. Many of those years, including this past year in Columbus, scalping before the game. Never have I had to pay more than $200/each. Most years if you are patient and ask around you can get them around $100/each. My favorite year was getting 3 pairs of tickets in '97 for $200/pair.
If I were you I'd put a wad of cash in your pocket and pick them up an hour before the game. Best places to look are in the Victors club section behind Crisler, the golf course, or Pioneer lot. Most real fans who have extra tickets would prefer to sell them to other fans, not professional scalpers. You just need to get them before the pros do. Best to avoid the pros as they are easy to spot(anyone with many tickets or a sign).
February 26th, 2009 at 4:40 PM ^
But then you spend your pregame walking around looking for tickets, instead of enjoying all the pregame tradition that makes a Michigan game, especially the OSU game, so much fun. I think having the time to enjoy before the game combined with peace of mind that you know you have tickets is worth the extra coin.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:47 PM ^
That's very true about enjoying the tailgate. For those who worry maybe it is worth extra. However, I never worried about tickets so we never really cut a tailgate short. For noon games we would tailgate from 7am till 11am. For 3:30 games, 9 to 2:30, so we didn't miss much tailgate. A number of times we actually bought our tickets during our tailgate when scalpers walked by or from others near our tailgate.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:59 PM ^
I paid $300 for a pair for the 2007 game. If I remember correctly, there were plenty on StubHub at similar prices during the week leading up to the game. Of course it's nice to get the tickets well in advance, but prices will drop significantly.
February 26th, 2009 at 5:02 PM ^
We won't know for a while, but I'm gonna call bullshit on the 150-200 estimate. Just about any schmuck will pay 150 for UM-OSU tickets, so I doubt they will actually be that low. But we'll see.
February 26th, 2009 at 5:11 PM ^
Yeah, but how many schmucks are going to be in the vicinity of the stadium without a ticket but intending to buy an hour before the game? Most schmucks will have already paid $300 on stubhub so they can tailgate and don't have to worry about finding tickets.
February 26th, 2009 at 5:11 PM ^
I would definitely wait, especially if using StubHub. These tickets are commodities - like other commodities, the price will fluctuate with the market. I WAY overpaid for Tigers opening day tickets last season because I bought too early. Tickets listed now are high since the sellers have no motivation to sell. As more tickets become available and people fill their schedules with other shit, the prices will come down.
As said above, I always prefer to have ticket in hand when I arrive for a game so I can focus on tailgating and atmosphere. With regard to team success, I was given two tickets to the '08 game in Cols due to the high point spread and liklihood for blowout. The pre-game tailgating was fun...
February 26th, 2009 at 6:03 PM ^
that you are a bank. Then go to Congress. They'll print you a couple of tickets.
There you go.
February 26th, 2009 at 6:19 PM ^
i usually get my tickets on craigslist but since your are not in michigan i would seek other ways besides stub hub....youll buy the tickets and pay a huge amount of stub hub fees which are like 20% maybe less but still it adds up with shipping and all that
February 26th, 2009 at 6:29 PM ^
Here are my $0.02... you can take them for what they're worth. To calibrate you, I've been to every UM vs. OSU game since '89. This past year was my 20th (what a forgettable milestone).
My advice is to wait. I only ever pay ridiculous prices in Columbus. Games in Ann Arbor are rarely ever a hot commodity (from my perspective). To give you some real examples of what I paid:
Columbus:
2002 (OSU's NC year): $250 each
2004: $225 each
2006: $650 each (obvious outlier with the #1/#2 hype)
2008: $225 each
Those prices were all so I could have tickets in hand before the game. With the exception of '02 and '06, there are always a good supply of tickets on game day.
Ann Arbor:
I will caveat and say that I have season tickets, but every year we load up the van and bring people with us who don't have tickets. This is what creates my impression that "the Game" in Ann Arbor is a different animal than it is in Columbus. All prices below were what guys in my group paid looking at scalpers around the stadium.
1997: bought tickets on gameday from scalper $20 over face!
1999: $75 each
2001: bought for face!
2003: $125 each
2005: $120 each
2007: $100 each
I think in general tickets are more pricey in good years vs. bad, although the data doesn't totally suggest that ('97?). I've also seen ticket prices in Ann Arbor shift over the past 10 years. Not Columbus price crazy, but different than what they were in early 90's when I'd sometimes have 20 tickets for all my OSU friends and never pay more than face.
I can't imagine paying those ridiculous Stubhub prices - especially for a game in Ann Arbor. My opinion is that I'd AT LEAST wait until the season starts. See how UM is doing. I can't see how we'll be much better than 6-5 heading into that game. The ONLY way you pay crazy prices is for the '06 "once in a lifetime" experience. That's not happening this year. If I were you, I'd wait and get tickets at the game. They will be there and you won't pay a fortune.
If you absolutely MUST have tickets in hand before the game, then you're probably stuck. I'd check other avenues as well (e.g. craigslist, etc.). I think stubhub prices are worse, but that's painting with a broad brush.
BTW - if I read your post correctly, I think we share the same birthday! What a birthday present that was last year, huh? Not much for me to cheer about in that one.
Good luck and Go Blue!
February 26th, 2009 at 7:06 PM ^
I have never been to the OSU game so I could not tell you about the tix buying experience but I can tell you where not to sit. The first 2 times I went I got seats between row 55 and row 30 in the endzone ($50 a piece) and could see the whole game. in 2008 I got seats at the corner of the endzone in row 6 and couldn't see a fricking thing the whole game through. those seats sucked. I was facing the wrong way and every time someone stood up I could not see past them. I refuse to tell someone to sit down (because I won't sit for anyone else either) so I watched most of the game on the jumbotron. when I buy tix this year my aim is to be endzone row 25 to 40 any lower than that and you are too low (IMO).
February 26th, 2009 at 7:14 PM ^
Past two years I've been able to get in for free.
in 07, I didn't have season tickets and was trying to buy on the day of the game. I only had 120 on me, and nobody would accept anything less than 150. I went to the northwest gate, and some guy was offering a student ticket for 150. Some bike cop approached him and said "Now, you're not allowed to be selling that for extra money, so I hope you're just giving it away for free" and the guy just gave it to me. Good thing I didn't pay for that ticket since the game really sucked.
But yeah, chances are you won't have that kind of luck.
February 26th, 2009 at 7:18 PM ^
One time I found a 20 dollar bill on the ground.
February 26th, 2009 at 8:17 PM ^
and then you created your screen name?
February 26th, 2009 at 8:59 PM ^
I moved away about ten years ago, but I never had any problem getting into the OSU game between 90 minutes before or even just before the game. One of the greatest places to get tix just before the game used to be CUBS AC (the U, for those who don't know, stood for "Ufer." I don't know if the family kept their share or not). The bartenders would yell for people who had or needed tix.
At game time, the scalpers have a tendency to take their prices down if you are persistent enough. Also, unless both teams are undefeated again, which won't happen this year, the game won't be as big as it has been.
I don't even know what face value is up there anymore, but I would bet you could get in for close to face, within ten dollars.
I guess it's just a matter of how safe you want to play it and how much it is worth to you to have a ticket guaranteed before you get into town.
February 26th, 2009 at 10:26 PM ^
i would never buy a ticket for stub hub, they are always 30% higher than anything on craigslist.
February 27th, 2009 at 12:15 PM ^
I'm glad I posted this because this is way more info than I thought I would get from anywhere. From what I read, there is no way I should pay more than $200 a seat, the endzone is more fun than the sideline, and if I sit above row 30 I'll be able to see the whole game. I'm definitely going to wait until closer to the season and see what becomes available. Where should I go to tailgate/pregame if I have no car?
Oh, and if I got seats in the student section, would I need a student id? I thought I read that somewhere. I don't wanna get stuck with tickets I cant use.
jvocke, yeah last year was not a happy birthday. Thankfully when I got home from the bar my girlfriend had a surprise party waiting for me. It helped ease some of the pain.
February 27th, 2009 at 1:27 PM ^
I imagine the student section would be pretty annoying to a 30 year old. The lower rows are fine if you're between the 20's, but not in the endzone or corners. There are plenty of bores in the endzone too.
I can deal with the student section if necessary, I just want to make sure that if the tix I got were there that you don't have to actually be a student to sit there.
March 26th, 2009 at 11:07 AM ^
They just have to be validated for non-student use. You will know they are validated if they have a validation sticker on them. If they DON'T have the sticker, you have to pay to validate them which, for that game, is $45 each. So if they don't have the sticker, realize after buying the tickets you have pay an additional $90 to use them. See the following website for explanation (scroll down to the section called "Non-student Use"
http://www.mgoblog.com/content/michigan-vs-osu-ticket-advice#comment-fo…
February 27th, 2009 at 1:28 PM ^
I'm from Maryland but I'm a big Michigan football fan. My 30th birthday is the day after this year's OSU game (stupid leap year) and I am planning on celebrating by going to my first UM game.
It's not a leap year. The next one isn't until 2012.
Last year was a leap year and it pushed my birthday to the day of last year's game at the Shoe, and this year's birthday to the day after the game.