Cole Pepper
Last season, the Florida State Seminoles won 13 games and enjoyed their best campaign in years. This season, fans will pay for it.
A report released by Oddspedia suggests that Florida State fans will see the biggest increase in gameday costs among all college football programs. According to the report, Seminoles fans will spend nearly double on gameday compared to last year.
Using the criteria of two tickets, a parking pass, two beers, two sodas and two hot dogs, Oddspedia found that FSU’s gameday cost is projected to be $272 per game. The cost is driven by the most expensive hotdogs in college football at $15 each, according to Oddspedia.
Tickets to Seminoles’ games are also on the pricey side with a pair costing $182, with only Georgia, Florida and Colorado being more expensive. Last year, Florida State tickets were just inside the Top 30 in average gameday costs but after last year’s success, the price tag increased.
Last season, Florida State’s average gameday cost was $137 per game, on average.
Having success the previous year is a common driver of price increases. Other schools that hiked a day’s cost at the stadium include Arizona, Penn State, LSU, USC and Kansas.
Here’s how those schools performed in 2023
— Arizona: won their last seven games, beat Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl, finished the season ranked 11th in the AP poll, their highest finish since 1998, and joined the Big 12 conference for 2024.
—Penn State: finished 10-3 behind Michigan and Ohio State in the Big 10 standings one year after winning 11 games.
—LSU: went 10-3 during the season and saw quarterback Jayden Daniels win the Heisman Trophy while setting a record for the highest passer rating in a season. The Tigers won the ReliaQuest Bowl, beating Wisconsin 35-31. Of note, Daniels is no longer the quarterback, having been drafted with the second pick of the NFL draft by the Washington Commanders.
—USC: Finished a disappointing 8-5 despite a Holiday Bowl win over Louisville. Quarterback Caleb Williams became the first pick of the NFL draft. USC joined the Big Ten starting this season.
—Kansas: won 9 games, including a win over UNLV in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, the first victory in a bowl game for the school in 15 years. The program is also renovating its football stadium and will play home games at Arrowhead Stadium and Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City in 2024.
Aside from Florida State, two schools joined new conferences this season after the dissolution of the Pac-12. Penn State has enjoyed back-to-back double-digit win seasons and LSU found success in Brian Kelly’s second year as head coach and Kansas is playing at an NFL stadium.
How will Seminoles fans react? There may be some grumbling, but if FSU is back to winning 10 or more games a year and if the team can reach the newly expanded 12-team playoff, most of the fanbase will be just fine with paying a little more.
