The high cost of tickets in 2015 was a factor in the low attendance last season. Using single game ticket prices as a barometer of pricing strategy reveals that there have been very large increases in ticket prices over time. Here’s the prices for single game, non-club tickets for the 2015 season:
Weber State $40
San Jose State $50
Stanford $80
Colorado $80
UCLA $80
UW $80
The past practice has been to price tickets so that D-1AA (FCS) schools were the lowest priced tickets and non-conference opponents slightly lower than most conference opponents (base conference price). There was also 1 or possibly 2 premium priced tickets for the Civil War or for UW. That strategy was changed in 2015 season with all conference opponent tickets priced at premium levels and that approach has been continued in 2016:
Idaho State $35
Boise State $80
California $80
Utah $80
WSU $80
Arizona $80
Oregon $100
The price of tickets and fan interest in a particular opponent are two factors that govern ticket sales. Single game ticket prices have risen dramatically since 2007. This period was marked by Reser Stadium reaching its current capacity. Ticket prices can also influence attendance, particularly among the buyers of single game tickets (see figure below – click to enlarge).