By Rick Horrow and Karla Swatek
December 14, 2012
They’re two of the biggest games of the college football season, but despite being played in the same stadium just six nights apart, interest in the Discover Orange Bowl and the BCS National Championship game couldn’t be more different. The average ticket price for the title game between traditional powers Alabama and Notre Dame is a whopping $2,400, which is more expensive than two of the last three Super Bowls, with seats starting at $1,400. The game likely will be the most-watched event in cable TV history, with more than 30 million people expected to tune in. Both Alabama and Notre Dame will pocket $22 million for the appearance.
Florida State and Northern Illinois will receive the same payouts for playing in the Orange Bowl, but the similarities between the two games end there. Orange Bowl tickets average $100, but start as low as $8. On TV, the matchup could struggle to get 7 million viewers and may end up the least-watched BCS game ever. So while the payouts to schools may be the same, clearly all BCS games aren’t created equal.
