First Posted: 9/6/2013
COLUMBUS — There have been only a few Ohio State football seasons awaited with the anticipation of this season, so it was interesting that the Buckeyes played in front of less than a full house in their opener last Saturday.
The opening day crowd of 103,980 that watched OSU beat Buffalo was smaller than all eight of the home games last season, when attendance exceeded 105,000 at seven games.
Combine that with stories I’ve heard from people about having a little difficulty finding buyers for tickets they couldn’t use for today’s game against San Diego State, and you begin to wonder if college football ticket prices are approaching a tipping point for some fans.
Ohio State will not have any trouble packing the stadium beyond capacity once the opponent’s jersey says Wisconsin or Michigan instead of Buffalo or San Diego State. And maybe those empty seats last week had already been sold but went unused or weren’t bought on the secondary market.
But you do wonder if there is a ceiling on ticket prices.
Of course, supply and demand play a big role. A face value ticket for today’s OSU-San Diego State game cost you $79. But you can get into Purdue’s game today against Indiana State for $20, and you could bring a child along for $5 more.
Next week at Purdue, that $20 seat will cost you $65, though, because Notre Dame is coming to West Lafayette.
Ohio State is doing the same thing later this season, when tickets for the Wisconsin game will cost $110.
Michigan is using “dynamic pricing,” in which prices can change during the season, based on demand for the tickets.
Right now, Michigan’s website is listing end zone seats for the Nov. 30 OSU-Michigan game for $235. If the two teams are unbeaten in mid-November, the price could go up. If they both unexpectedly stumble before then, it will stay the same or theoretically could go down.
San Diego State, today’s opponent for Ohio State, sold tickets for its opener last week for as little as $12.
But the Aztecs probably should have offered a refund after the way they performed in losing that game 40-19 to Eastern Illinois, an FCS team (formerly NCAA Division I-AA).
Urban Meyer, who once worked for famed opponent embellisher Lou Holtz, says Ohio State fans will see “a top 25 team” in San Diego State.
If they do, there will have to be drastic improvement by the visitors, who were optimistic going into this season after winning nine games last year.
The Aztecs got only a token appearance from leading rusher Adam Muema (1,458 yards last season) after he suffered a sprained ankle early in last week’s game. Quarterback Adam Dingwell (four interceptions, no touchdowns) couldn’t pick up the slack, and the defense struggled, especially at cornerback, where coach Rocky Long tried six different players.
While Ohio State’s opener was far from embarrassing, the Buckeyes need to show improvement across the board this week, according to Meyer.
He mentioned the offensive line, which he says should be the best in the Big Ten but wasn’t last week, as one area where he wants to see improvement. Defensively, one of the things he wants is more pressure on the quarterback.
Help should be on the way for the defense with the return of cornerback Bradley Roby from a one-game suspension and safety C.J. Barnett , who sat out last week with a sprained ankle. The offense will have another option in running back Rod Smith, who also was suspended for the opener.
If OSU’s players share the disappointment some of their fans expressed after last week’s game, San Diego State could pay the price. A very high price.
The prediction: Ohio State 38, San Diego State 10.
