USC – Stanford Most Expensive Rivalry Game in Years

Since 1905, Stanford and USC have been rivals.

Although their disdain for one another softened during the early 2000s, Jim Harbaugh’s 2007 arrival in Palo Alto helped refuel the mutual hatred between the two teams. Although Harbaugh is now the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, the lasting impression he left on his former squad remains in tact. Thanks to him, the Stanford-USC rivalry is once again at the forefront of Pac-12 fans’ minds.

USC’s recent disappointment suffered at the hands of Stanford–including an embarrassing 55-21 romp in 2009– has unquestionably added to the rivalry drama. This year when Lane Kiffin’s Trojan team heads to Stanford, it will be looking to avenge three straight losses in the series. As suspense continues to rise, ticket prices for the game remain high. The sold-out game is one of the toughest tickets in college football this weekend, with the average seat selling for 142.40.

Take a look at the numbers:
 

• Saturday’s game will be the most expensive meeting between these two teams in the last three seasons. The current resale ticket price for the game is $142.49, which is almost $40 or 37% more than what fans paid to see the rivalry matchup in 2010 and 16% pricier than last year’s showdown at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
• This marquee event—almost $80 more expensive than the average post-Luck Stanford home game—is unquestionably the hottest ticket for the Cardinal squad this season. In fact, no other game is even in the same pricing stratosphere. Tickets to see Stanford’s season finale against Oregon State are fetching just $39.71 on the secondary market, with tickets to all other home games ranging from $14-$31.
• Moreover, this game is primed to become the second most expensive ever played at Stanford Stadium. Only tickets to last year’s contest against Oregon averaged more on the secondary market ($173.74 average). To further contextualize the data, tickets to previous big-ticket games, including the 2011 Orange Bowl and last year’s matchup against Notre Dame, ran for $113.71 and $123 respectively.
• Although tickets are expensive, they have softened significantly in the three weeks leading up to the game. In the 7-day period ending on August 26th, average ticket prices spiked to $149.93 before dipping $30 in the ensuing two week period. Within the last 72 hours we have seen the biggest dip in ticket prices, as the current average now stands at $100.
• Currently, the most expensive ticket to the game is a $1103 seat in Section 112 Row B. More reasonable alternatives—including a $67 ticket in Section 206 Row J—are still available and will likely become even more affordable within the 24-hour period prior to kickoff.

Most Expensive Pac-12 Football Games

1. USC @ Utah, $217.20 average
2. Oregon @ USC, $196.65 average
3. USC @ UCLA, $180.37 average
4. Oregon @ Oregon State, $168.62 average
5. USC @ Stanford, $142.49 average

Stanford Football Tickets 2012

USC Football Tickets 2012

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