NCG Ticket Buying Advice
TL;DR - When is the best time to buy tickets for the NCG?
As a California resident, I can't pass up a potential opportunity to watch my alma mater play for the national championship in my own home time zone. But given that we need to get past TCU first, I'm a bit hesitant to buy tickets right now. On the other hand, if I wait until after the Fiesta Bowl, I risk having to pay a lot more than I would have paid if I buy the tickets now. Does anyone have advice on how to navigate this situation? If I buy tickets now (on StubHub, for example) to lock in a lower price and then God forbid we lose to TCU, will I be able to easily sell my tickets?
Apologies if this is a rudimentary question; I have limited experience in buying and selling tickets.
December 4th, 2022 at 11:04 PM ^
If I buy tickets now (on StubHub, for example) to lock in a lower price and then God forbid we lose to TCU, will I be able to easily sell my tickets?
I don't see this as the NCG from a couple of years ago at Levi's where I bought less than face value tickets the day of the game (I was a consultant travelling weekly to Sunnyvale and some of us in the office saw the stadium lights from the office and said fuck it, let's go).
That game should have never been held there.
I think you're good OP. If it was me, I'd pull the trigger. UGA, ohio, and TCU fans will all travel to LA for this.
December 5th, 2022 at 12:25 AM ^
Ended up using this exact justification to buy mine a couple hours ago. Maybe it bites me, but I’m trying to hedge my bets.
December 5th, 2022 at 1:49 AM ^
SF and LA require very different strategies. See post below. Waiting for after semis is the move, take advantage of panic/depression selling from disappointed fans looking to liquidate tickets.
December 4th, 2022 at 11:15 PM ^
Not sure on timing, but you should use Ticket IQ.
December 5th, 2022 at 8:40 AM ^
Hey! Good idea. I hear that TicketIQ has upfront ticket pricing so you know exactly what you're going to pay.
December 4th, 2022 at 11:27 PM ^
Well I was thinking of coming down for it but prices would need to go down drastically for me to even think about it. $1300 for the most nosebleed of sections? Insane.
December 5th, 2022 at 1:53 AM ^
Go to fiesta bowl site direct, you can get in the door for 1/3rd of that or less.
December 5th, 2022 at 7:20 AM ^
He’s talking about the national championship game in LA, not the Fiesta Bowl.
December 5th, 2022 at 1:41 AM ^
Based on experience with multiple high demand experiences every fan who thinks their team has a chance runs out and buys tickets direct. Then after their team gets eliminated, they start panic selling because who wants to go to a game your team isn’t playing in, and pay LA prices (25 year resident) for everything from Uber, to food, to hotels (flights may be the cheapest part of your itinerary), entertainment, etc.
No reason to buy now, buy after semis and take advantage of fans cutting losses.
This has been the correct strategy for multiple sweet sixteen/final fours/championship games and it’s next to infallible.
In the very remote chance that the laws of economics don’t prevail, you still get an incredible trip and can watch at one of the 4 alumni club watch parties in LA based on where you’re staying.
December 5th, 2022 at 5:47 AM ^
This is exactly what happened in San Antonio in 2018 for basketball. Get the flight to LA first, then watch prices plummet as the secondary market becomes a game of "who is the most desperate to sell their ticket" with 40,000+ losing team fans playing.
December 5th, 2022 at 8:12 AM ^
That only happens if there are more sellers than buyers. If it ends up Mich-OSU, that won't happen imo.
December 5th, 2022 at 8:20 AM ^
not sure if the 2018 finals is a good example. You had Kansas fan base that was able to drive to the final four. Once their team lost it was easy for them to drive home Saturday and not pay for next 3 days of staying in San Antonio. That scenario did not play out in the 2013 final four. Ticket prices were extremely high.
December 5th, 2022 at 8:57 AM ^
I’d be surprised if you are seeing anything affordable on the market right now. Historically National championship tickets don’t go up that much. It’s hard for large sums of people to plan a trip on a week. However if Michigan makes it it’s going to be expensive. I’d buy now if you see anything in your target price range. You might lose a little but ultimately could be saving big. But still think you won’t find anything reasonable currently available.
December 5th, 2022 at 9:39 AM ^
Anyone know what section(s) are likely to be best for UM fans? Or have even a rough guess how much cheaper than $1000 tickets might ever get?
December 5th, 2022 at 1:03 PM ^
Fiesta Bowl Winners are on the sideline that includes sections 540/445/350/246/132 if you're looking to sit at the 50 yard line. I would guess that's going to be the better option from UM fans, but I don't think it's official.
Seat Geek lists those seats at about $1300/$2500/$2500/$4700/$7300 respectively if you're looking to pull the trigger. I guess the 3rd tier is probably the best "value" since it's the same price as 4th tier.