UM students ran into long waits and website problems Sunday as student tickets for the Hurricanes’ Oct. 17 rivalry game against Florida State went live through the school’s new Ticketmaster system.
The free tickets opened at noon, and students quickly flooded the site. Even with the rush, tickets were still available later in the day and into the evening, but several students said the process was slowed by queue delays and access issues.
Robert Goffman, a UM freshman, said the site stalled before he could even get in.
“The website wouldn’t let me in for about five minutes, and then I had to wait in a 25 minute line, but I did end up getting them,” he said.
UM senior Marizú Weller Rios said her experience was smoother, though still frustratingly slow.
“I didn’t have any problems, but I did have to wait a long time in the queue,” said UM senior Marizú Weller Rios. “It took about 40 minutes to be in queue spot 1,107 to get my ticket.”
Other students weren’t as fortunate. Some waited through the line only to be pushed back and forced to start over after selecting a ticket.
During the busiest stretch, queue estimates ranged from 2,000 to 3,000 people, contributing to slow processing times and site issues.
The demand wasn’t hard to explain. Florida State’s return to Miami on Saturday, Oct. 17, arrives as one of college football’s biggest rivalry games, and the No.
3 Hurricanes are undefeated so far. That combination has turned the matchup into the biggest home game on Miami’s schedule.
Goffman said the rivalry alone drives the intensity around getting in.
“The rivalry has everything to do with it,” Goffman said. “This is the biggest game of the season down here, and one of if not the only, real-ish matchups we have down here.”
Students were also watching the secondary market, where general public tickets were already climbing well past $200 before student tickets were even released.
Sunday’s rollout also put Miami’s new ticketing setup under a brighter spotlight. In July, Miami Athletics announced that Ticketmaster would replace SeatGeek as its official ticketing partner, moving ticket purchases, transfers and access to the new platform ahead of the 2026-27 athletic season. When the change was announced, the university said it would “enhance the game-day experience” and streamline the process for Hurricanes fans.
Instead, the student release brought complaints about access and queue times, raising questions about whether the system is delivering on that promise.
The Florida A&M home opener in September had already given Goffman a taste of the issues. He said he had trouble verifying his Ticketmaster account and eventually had to call customer support.
“I tried to verify for over an hour, until I called customer support,” said Goffman. “After 30 minutes on the phone, they manually verified my account.”
Student tickets are limited, so not every UM student who wants one is guaranteed a seat. The University had not responded to questions about how many student tickets were made available as of publication.
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