Orange Bowl: Tickets for FSU-Michigan a Pretty Penny

Sixth-ranked Michigan and No. 11 Florida State will meet for just the third time on Friday night in the Capital One Orange Bowl. With two tradition-rich programs going at it, it’s no surprise that the contest has brought plenty of intrigue, but to see it in person may set you back several hundred dollars.

According to data provided by TickPick on Tuesday, the average ticket price to get into Hard Rock Stadium in Miami for the contest is $375. While prices tend to go down as kickoff nears, the average Orange Bowl ticket price on Dec. 27 last year was about $225, but last year’s contest between Oklahoma and Clemson was a national semifinal.

Here’s a look at ticket trends for the Orange Bowl since 2013:

Data provided by TickPick

Looking at the data from the previous three Orange Bowls, tickets for this year’s contest is not only about $150 higher than last season’s game at the same time, but about $200 more than the match-up between Ohio State and Clemson at the end of the 2013 season. It’s about $300 higher than the Georgia Tech-Mississippi State contest to conclude 2014.

Coming up with an inference as to why isn’t that difficult.

Michigan is a proud program with more wins than any other and enthusiasm is very high under second-year head coach Jim Harbaugh. The Wolverines are also playing in their first major bowl since 2011. Also, compare the temperature in South Florida this time of year to Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Florida State fans are well-distributed throughout the state of Florida, so finding more than 40,000 willing to head to Miami in late December isn’t hard to do. It’s also quite rare to see Florida State get the opportunity to play a northern blue-blood with the tradition of a Michigan or an Ohio State. Friday’s game will be the first meeting between the Seminoles and Wolverines in more than 25 years.

Getting to watch FSU and Michigan go at it is a real treat, not just for fans of the respective schools, but fans of college football in general. It’s not crazy to want to be there. Whatever your reason for going may be however, make sure you have a healthy savings account.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson