SEC championship ticket demand rivaling World Series

By Mike Morris

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Just how hot are tickets to Saturday's SEC showdown between the No. 1 Florida Gators and No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide?

Think World Series hot.

"The SEC Championship game is now rivaling a World Series game in terms of fan demand and average ticket price," said Christian Anderson, a spokesman for FanSnap, an internet search engine that looks for tickets on about 50 ticket reselling sites.

A spokeswoman for one of those ticket markeplaces, StubHub.com, said tickets for Saturday's game are the top-selling tickets for any college football game in the nation this season.

"The fan demand to nail down a seat at the Georgia Dome this Saturday is high, according to our StubHub.com stats," said Emily Gilbert. "It's the highest-grossing college football game of the season, beating the Oct. 17 Oklahoma-Texas matchup."

Gilbert said the average price for tickets to Saturday's game purchased through StubHub was $570, compared to $488 for last year's SEC championship game in which Florida beat Alabama 31-20. Tickets to Saturday's game sold through StubHub have ranged in price from $150 to $1,857, she said.

While Saturday's game is sold out through official channels, there are still tickets available on the reselling market, but you better have deep pockets.

Late Wednesday morning, the StubHub Web site was showing 1,628 tickets still available, with asking prices ranging from $325 for upper-level end zone tickets to $4,890 for a 50-yard-line lower-level seat.