Michigan football outselling rival Ohio State by 180% in ticket sales on one website
Michigan football continues to stay ahead of its rival to the south.
The Wolverines are outselling Ohio State in total tickets for the 2023 season by 180%, according to StubHub, a ticket exchange and resale company. Michigan is No. 2 in sales on StubHub’s list of "in-demand teams," with the Buckeyes at No. 11. Alabama is No. 1, outpacing Michigan by 24%. The Wolverines were No. 7 at this time last year.
The Wolverines' game vs. the Buckeyes — set for noon Nov. 25 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor — is the No. 2 hottest-selling game, StubHub said, up from fifth last year. The cheapest ticket listed for the matchup as of Tuesday evening was $446.
"The Game" already has double the sales of last year’s matchup on StubHub, when the Wolverines will go for a third consecutive win over the Buckeyes. U-M last won three in a row vs. OSU in 1995-97; that run culminated in a national title in '97. (The expectations are the same for this season.)
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Michigan is once again proving itself as a big draw, driving the third-largest jump in average ticket prices in the nation when on the road, according to the number-crunchers at Stubhub. Ohio State got a win, finally, in that category, however, as the Buckeyes drive the biggest increase, at a more than 90% spike. The Buckeyes' game Sept. 23 vs. Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, is the top-selling ticket in the nation on StubHub.
The Wolverines won't have head coach Jim Harbaugh for the first three games of the season, after the university announced a ban Monday. He will conveniently be back on the sideline for the Big Ten opener Sept. 23 vs. Rutgers. Michigan kicks off its season Sept. 2 vs. East Carolina as five-touchdown favorites.
The ticket-selling website says it is seeing a nearly 50% increase in college football sales over last season and seeing the most preseason sales since 2018.
The Big Ten is experiencing a 35% growth in sales over last year, StubHub says, similar to the SEC.
Colorado, under new head coach Deion Sanders and entering its final season in the Pac-12, is topping the site with the biggest jump in sales.
Notre Dame is No. 3 in ticket sales on StubHub, with Penn State at No. 4.
Auburn, now guided by former Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne, is No. 7.
Coming later this week: "Hail Yes! A Detroit Free Press Podcast about University of Michigan Sports," hosted by Michigan beat writer Tony Garcia and Big Ten insider Rainer Sabin.
You will be able to find the show wherever you listen to podcasts, including: Apple, Google, Spotify and Amazon.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football outselling Ohio State by 180% in ticket sales
