College Football Playoff Title Game Ticket Prices Soar as Miami and Indiana Fans Flood Miami
MIAMI - If you’re still hoping to snag a seat for Monday night’s College Football Playoff national championship between Indiana and Miami, be ready to pay - a lot. With just hours to go before kickoff at Hard Rock Stadium, ticket prices remain sky-high, barely budging from their peak levels.
According to Ticketdata, which monitors resale prices across the major secondary marketplaces, the cheapest ticket available as of midday Sunday was $3,652 - and that’s for two seats, including fees. That’s only about an 8% drop from Saturday’s prices, a minor dip considering the clock is ticking.
And if you’re hoping for a prime view? Some lower bowl seats are still going for north of $10,000 apiece.
Even parking passes have turned into hot commodities, with some listed at over $1,000 - and those don’t even come with a game ticket. If you're willing to walk from the outer lots, you might find a pass closer to $100.
The hype is real, and the demand reflects it. Earlier this week, CFP executive director Rich Clark was asked about the staggering ticket prices - which have even eclipsed those for Taylor Swift’s recent shows at the same venue.
His response? A smile and a quip: “It’s more expensive than Taylor Swift?
We have arrived.” While the CFP doesn’t control resale pricing, Clark took it as a sign of just how massive this game has become.
For Miami, this is home turf. Hard Rock Stadium is their backyard, and unsurprisingly, the Hurricanes had no trouble moving their ticket allotment.
Season ticket holders were given first dibs through targeted emails in recent weeks, and those who responded early had the best shot at securing seats. It’s been a full-on hometown surge.
But Indiana fans have shown they’re not just along for the ride - they’re here in force. After packing the stands at the Rose Bowl and Peach Bowl, the Hoosier faithful have made the trip south, turning Miami into a second home.
“I know they’ll travel well to this game,” Indiana linebacker Isaiah Jones said. “I think it’s going to be a statement that it’s in Miami, and I think we’ll still see a very decent amount of Indiana Hoosiers fans.”
No one knows that better than Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza. The Heisman Trophy winner grew up in Miami, and with a national title on the line in his hometown, the ticket scramble has hit close to home.
“Tickets are definitely a problem,” Mendoza admitted. “Because there’s so many family members that want to come to the game.”
Mendoza won’t be the only local with a major storyline. Miami will be without starting defensive back Xavier Lucas for the first half of the championship after a targeting call in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal. The hit came in the second half, which by rule means Lucas must sit out the first half of the next game - a rule that’s long been debated across college football.
The Hurricanes tried to get the call revisited, but the appeal didn’t go anywhere. On Sunday, during the final press conference before the game, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal voiced his frustration and called for change.
“We feel it was unjustly administered, and now it impacts the last game of the season,” Cristobal said. “We do have the ability, again, as an officiating crew and the powers that be to revisit that to give every team due process and their best ability to compete in this game.”
Lucas was ejected in the fourth quarter of Miami’s win over Mississippi. What’s fueling Miami’s frustration is a similar hit earlier in that game - this time by Ole Miss - that was overturned after review. The Hurricanes believe both plays were nearly identical, and the inconsistency has left them feeling burned.
Under the current rule, a player flagged for targeting in the first half is only out for the rest of that game. But if it happens in the second half, the suspension carries over into the first half of the next game - which, in this case, just happens to be the biggest of the season.
Off the field, the Miami-Indiana matchup has caught the attention of pop culture, too. NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” took a comedic swing at the hype, featuring a skit on “Weekend Update” where comedian Kam Patterson played Miami legend Michael Irvin. The bit included a photo of Irvin animatedly yelling at head coach Mario Cristobal - with Patterson joking, “here’s me whispering.”
Fortunately for Cristobal, the skit left out the now-viral moment when Irvin planted a kiss on the coach’s cheek after one of Miami’s CFP wins.
“I’d rather not get kissed by Michael Irvin,” Cristobal said with a laugh. “That whole kiss thing, I’m never going to live that down.” Still, he made it clear that Irvin is like family and that his presence has been a boost on the sideline.
Over on CBS, “Sunday Morning” took a more heartfelt approach. Host Jane Pauley, a proud Indiana alum, spotlighted the Hoosiers’ rise from college football afterthought to national title contender. She drew a line from the team’s unlikely run to the spirit of the classic movie Hoosiers, praising head coach Curt Cignetti’s calm demeanor and disciplined approach - not to mention the financial investment that’s helped fuel Indiana’s transformation.
And of course, she highlighted the hometown hero: Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza.
“A Florida boy,” Pauley said. “A Hoosier now.”
Monday night’s clash is more than just a game - it’s a collision of storylines, fanbases, and rising programs. And with the eyes of the football world on Miami, the stakes couldn’t be higher.