Almost 70% of the crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the SEC Championship game Saturday will be Georgia fans, according to projections by a secondary-ticket marketplace.
Vivid Seats' "fan forecast" model – "using an algorithm that explores our proprietary data," according to the company -- estimates the crowd will favor Georgia over LSU by a 69% to 31% breakdown.
The SEC allocated a total of 32,600 tickets to the participating schools – 16,300 each. The SEC distributed the remaining tickets to the conference office, sponsors, Falcons club-seat personal-seat-license holders, stadium suite holders and SEC Championship game renewable ticket holders.
Many tickets subsequently changed hands on the secondary market, and it’s no surprise Georgia fans gobbled up many of those with the game being played in Atlanta.
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Asked on a conference call early this week if the game’s location gives Georgia an edge, LSU coach Ed Orgeron said: “I’m sure there will be a big crowd there, but LSU is going to travel well. They’re going to be loud and proud. I expect it to be a great crowd for both sides.”
He later said LSU "will treat this as an away game."
UGA's allotment of 16,300 tickets was distributed among donors, faculty/staff, students and other "institutional needs." Approximately 11,000 of the 16,300 tickets were made available for purchase by donors, based on their cumulative contributions to the UGA Athletic Association.
The announced attendance for last season's SEC Championship game between Georgia and Alabama was 77,141, although the actual attendance was 69,614, according to figures provided by Mercedes-Benz Stadium officials to a state agency.