The BCS title game is just over two weeks away, and while excitement for the rematch continues to build, prices have begun to drop over the last week. The average listing price for BCS title game in New Orleans is down 24% since 12/15, from an average of $2742 to $2075 today. The get-in price has also dropped 22%, from $1415 on 12/15 to $1100 today. Value minded buyers should keep a close eye on eBay auctions, as sellers worried that the price may drop further may start to get aggressive. At last glance, there were several auctions ending within an hour that had last bids of under $1,000.

Still, even with the recent drop in price, tickets for round two of this SEC showdown are 194% more expensive than their regular season meeting in Tuscaloosa back in early November. They’re also 491% above the next closest bowl–The Cotton Bowl–in terms of price, so by no means are tickets cheap. If you’ve been thinking about going, though, now is the time to start paying closer attention to the market as deals should start to come with more frequency. For all listings, click on the view tickets button below:

With the College Football regular season coming to and end, football fans around the country turn their attention to bowl season which kicks off in about two weeks. Here at TiqIQ we’re doing the same. Below you will find a chart highlighting the top 5 priced bowl games.

As expected, the BCS Title Game is far and away the most expensive game this bowl season. With an average price of $2727, tickets LSU-Bama in New Orleans are selling for 461% more than The Rose Bowl, the second most expensive game on the chart. And while that $2727 price is high, it’s actually 15% less expensive than last year’s title game between Auburn and Oregon, which averaged $3227 a seat.

Following the Rose Bowl, the Fiesta, Sugar and Cotton bowls are all averaging around $300 a ticket, or 89% less than the BCS title game. There was a s significant drop-off in price after the top five, with no games falling in the $200-$300 price range. Bowls that missed the top 5, albeit by a wide margin, include the Alamo Bowl ($191), the Outback Bowl ($165), the Holiday Bowl ($165) and the lone BCS Bowl to fall short of the top 5, the Orange Bowl, where tickets to see West Virginia take on Clemson are selling for $164 a seat, 45% less than the 5th-ranked Cotton Bowl.

For tickets to these or any of the upcoming bowl games click the view tickets button below.

Conference Championship weekend in College Football is just days away as 5 of the top conferences will play their championship games either Friday or Saturday. In the chart on the right you will see the average and low prices for those 5 games.

As expected, the SEC championship between top-ranked LSU and 12th-ranked Georgia tops our list with a $353 average ticket price. That’s 109% more than the second highest priced game, the ACC Championship with (#5) Virginia Tech taking on (#20) Clemson. Following the SEC and ACC is Conference USA’s championship game between (#6) Houston and their high powered offense and (#24) Southern Mississippi. Surprisingly, the Big Ten championship game, a rematch of that thrilling, hail mary-ending game between (#13) Michigan State and (#15) Wisconsin back in October, comes in just fourth on the list, ahead of only the Pac-12 Championship game on Friday night between (#9) Oregon and UCLA. The game in October put an end to Wisconsin’s BCS hopes, so expect another thriller as the Badgers look for some payback at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, and with prices averaging just $126 this game might be the deal of the weekend.

It should be another action-packed weekend around college football as the regular season comes to a close, and you can get your seats to any of these great matchups by clicking on the buy button below.

Already being called the “Game of the Century”, this weekend’s clash between #1 ranked LSU and #2 ranked Alabama is the top story in the sports world. But besides the X’s and O’s, the “keys to victory”, and all that surrounds the game itself, the story of the ticket prices have also been a hot topic. Below, we’ve compiled quotes from some of the Web’s best writers who have used our data:

“Fans are listing tickets even higher, but it appears like those prices aren’t rational. TiqIQ, a ticketing search marketplace, says that the average listing price of LSU-Alabama tickets dropped by 10.1 percent from $699.10 to $627.91 over the last 48 hours. Before the season, TiqIQ had the game being listed at an average price of $420.93, so the two teams being undefeated heading into the game was still worth a $200 boost per ticket in the listing price.” (Darren Rovell)

“Overall, the average price has leveled out in recent days after peaking at $740.23 on Oct. 20, which is mainly due to an influx of tickets on the secondary market. There are about 1,400 tickets available after only 1,100 were on the market last week. That’s clearly good news for anyone who wants to see the game, and the “get-in” price is currently $350 after peaking at $390 a week ago.” (SBNation)

“…they expect prices to continue trending downward until gametime. The tickets have a $70 face value. Last year’s LSU vs Bama contest in Baton Rouge had an average price of $385.” (Roll Bama Roll)

Since College Gameday first aired in 1987, it has grown into a national event, and a weekly glimpse into collegelife in the throes of a sports, media and alcohol binge. It also makes for some expensive tickets. 4 of the first 5 College Gameday choices have been the most expensive game of the week, according to our data. This week’s visit to Camp Randal for #7 Wisconsin vs. #8 Nebraska is no different.  Since the choice was announced Sunday, prices are also up 8%. Other Gameday games this year have also seen a post-announcement bump. So while it’s no news that College Gameday has been great for the game, it turns out it’s also good for ticket prices.

As detailed in the recent ESPN book, the first ‘on the road’ broadcast was a much tamer affair without any clever signs or foam heads, and all under the watch Touchdown Jesus. The game featured #1 FSU at #2 Notre Dame. That was 2003. 2004 was the first year with multiple broadcasts, at six. The 2011-12 season will feature 15 broadcasts, with the next beaming from Camp Randall, home of the Badgers. (Click here for TiqIQ Top 25: Nebraska and Wisconsin are #2 and #21, respectively).

With Nebraska’s recent move to the Big 10, there’s already discussion and tweeting that this could be the annual end-of-season trophy game. It seems the talk has worked, as Wisconsin fans are seeing Red and shelling green to see the ‘new’ rivals in town. At an average price of $360, this week’s game trails only the Week One kick-off (which was at a neutral site) and the epic Michigan-Notre Dame night game, for most expensive Gameday locations of 2011-12.

In this season of unprecedented college foot turmoil, historical rivalry games are being throw to the curb and others are being forged out of money and media. Its not like anything we’ve ever seen, and buyers are paying up to make sure they don’t miss a snap. If you’re playing the price game—at a $430 Avg and a Get-in of $190—next week’s Oklahoma @ Texas is leader right now. If Gameday picks the Cotton Bowl for the broadcast, as they likely will, you’ll be lucky to find anything under $250 for what may be the final Red River Rivalry, Big-12 Edition.

Here’s a list of all the College Gamedays…EVER.

When we created the TiqIQ Top 25 at the beginning of this season as a way to track the highest average price for all college football teams, we expected some movement. We did not, however, expect anything as meteoric as Texas A&M’s rise from #21 to #3 over the course of just four weeks.

When we first released the list in late August, the Aggies average ticket price for all home games was $136. Since then, they’ve risen 73%, to an average of $236, leapfrogging such powerhouses like Alabama, Auburn, as well as in-state rival Texas. Three weeks into the season, they trail only Nebraska and Oregon for the highest average price in the nation.

There are two obvious reasons for the spike, one of which is their on-the-field performance. With their 2-0 start, A&M sits at #8 in the AP poll, a position they have not in over 15 years. As a result, fans are understandably excited. The second reason has to do with off-the-field media coverage of their pending move to the SEC.  Despite a lawsuit by Baylor looking to hold up the move in court, after the announcement A&M jumped nine slots from #21 to #12. In the subsequent weeks, they have moved up at an average of $37 per week, with this week being the biggest yet, at $56.

If one questions the financial benefits of the so-called super-conferences, A&M’s climb up the TiqIQ Top 25 may well be a leading indicator of the financial windfall to come. In the last 4 weeks, A&M sellers have gained $2.4 Million in secondary-market paper profits as a result of the move from #21 to #3. While not yet directly benefiting the team, a higher average ticket price in the secondary market will ultimately translate to higher primary ticket prices, which will directly benefit the school. With future and frequent match-ups against college football’s A-Listers like Alabama and Auburn, booster donations are sure to increase as well. There are also the lucrative media rights that come with the SEC’s nationally televised games. ESPN alone pays the SEC a $150 million annually.

With all the money being unearthed in this quake of realignment, it’s no surprise that Pittsburgh and Syracuse announced last week they would forsake tradition in the name of bigger revenue streams. So far, Neither Pitt nor Syracuse are close to cracking the TiqIQ Top 25, but check back in 2015 after they’ve had a few years of ACC recruiting and exposure. If they’re really lucky, maybe they’ll even be an Orange or Panther with their eyes on the White House.

College football kicks off a week from today, and as they have been doing for almost 75 years, the Associated Press has named a #1. This year’s choice was Oklahoma. Despite the chest thumping that erupts each year after the poll is released, the data says Sooner fans need to couch their enthusiasm. Since the AP started naming a pre-season #1 in 1950, only ten pre-season #1’s has gone on to win the National Championship. Statistically speaking, that’s below the Mendoza line.

At TiqIQ, our world revolves around the ticket market, and given the AP’s lack of predictive success over the years, we decided to launch the TiqIQ Top 25 to see if it was a better predictor post-season glory. Rather than look at anything happening on the field, however, the TiqIQ Top 25 lets the fans do the voting, namely with their wallets. The TiqIQ Top 25 is based on the average price of a teams home games. The top 25 will be updated weekly, so be sure to check back regularly.

If you’re looking for another way to help your team, we’d recommend that you go buy some tickets and drive up demand. If come January, Nebraska–our pre-season #1–is holding the Coahes Trophy high, we’ll know we’re on to something. If not, it’s one more things for fans to argue about before their teams ever take the field.

For tickets to any of these games, click on the links below:

- SEC Championship

- Big 12 Championship

- ACC Championship