Ahead of tonight’s College Football Playoff Championship Game, fans who are not friends and family of a member of either team will have to have deep pockets in order to enter the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium. The lowest priced ticket on gametime.co, seated in row 29 of the stadium, is priced at $1,775, while a lower sideline seat will cost a whopping $4,637.
According to ticketiq.com, the cheapest tickets for last year’s championship game between LSU and Clemson were $993, while the most expensive were $8,547.
In October, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis initiated phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan which gave Hard Rock Stadium the opportunity to be at full capacity. However, the Dolphins didn’t fill the stadium during their season, allowing 13,000 fans into the venue. For tonight’s game there’ll be 14,000 fans, according to the Tuscaloosa News. Of the 14,000, the Crimson Tide and the Buckeyes received 3,750 tickets a piece, six for each player and coach.
Neither team has played with their home stadium at full capacity this season. Alabama has only allowed 20% into Bryant-Denny Stadium, while the amount of fans and spectators the Buckeyes have had has fluctuated due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Head coaches Nick Saban and Ryan Day could earn more than enough to buy some seats should their team come out on top. Incentive clauses in the contract of six-time national champion Saban could earn him $800,000. Buckeye Head Coach Ryan Day would earn less, at $550,000.
The two teams have taken drastically different roads to earn a spot in the national championship game. The Crimson Tide dominated its schedule, with only one game being as close as 10 points. On the opposite sideline, Ohio State had its season ravaged by COVID-19. As a result, multiple games were canceled and the Buckeyes’ pursuit of a national championship looked to be in jeopardy. That was before the Big 10 amended its rule, allowing a then six-win Ohio State team to play for a conference championship.
After winning the college football semifinal 10 days ago, the two teams will face off tonight with fans in the bleachers that will have paid for a pricey seat.
