Demand Rankings: College Football’s Most Sought-After Seats for Week 5 Games

Counting down the 10 most intriguing matchups and the most in-demand tickets for Saturday’s slate of games.

Marvin Gentry/USA TODAY Sports

Demand Rankings is Sports Illustrated’s weekly look at the games and sports events that are driving the most demand for tickets across sports, including college football, NFL, NBA, golf, tennis and more. Here’s this week’s list of the most sought-after seats in college football.

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Week 4 in college football featured two top-10 teams going down, big brands like Miami and Texas getting upset, and down-to-the-wire conference games like Clemson vs. Wake Forest and USC vs. Oregon State. What’s in store in Week 5? This week’s slate consists of a top-10 showdown with ACC title implications, a rematch of last year’s Big 12 championship game and the No. 2 team in the country on the road against a ranked opponent. Here’s a look at the biggest matchups and most in-demand seats for this weekend.

1. Alabama at Arkansas, Oct. 1, 3:30 p.m. ET

Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, Ark.

Demand Meter: 😍

This showdown lost a bit of its luster when the Razorbacks fell in heartbreaking fashion to Texas A&M on Saturday, but the Hogs still have a huge opportunity to host the No. 2 team in the nation and make its case for a New Year’s Six bowl game. We’ve already seen the Tide struggle in their first true road game of the season, an ugly 20–19 win at Texas in Week 2. An Arkansas win could flip the SEC West on its head early in the conference season, but Bryce Young proved in the Texas game just how hard it is to close out Alabama. This is the hottest ticket of the week in college football, with average prices at a week-high $421, per SI Tickets.

2. NC State at Clemson, Oct. 1, 7:30 p.m. ET

Memorial Stadium, Clemson, S.C.

Demand Meter: 😍

Clemson needed overtime to survive one division rival in Wake Forest last weekend. What will it take to continue its undefeated season against the No. 10 Wolfpack? After plenty of struggles in 2021, DJ Uiagalelei had a bit of a resurgence with a huge performance in the Wake Forest win. But the junior quarterback will have his hands full against a strong NC State defense. Meanwhile, this could be the official coming-out party for Wolfpack QB Devin Leary, the veteran who could further etch his name in the NC State record books with a signature road win like this. Tickets are listed on average for $295, second-highest of Week 5, per SI Tickets.

3. Oklahoma State at Baylor, Oct. 1, 3:30 p.m. ET

McLane Stadium, Waco, Texas

Demand Meter: 😍

These teams last met in the 2021 Big 12 championship game, a thrilling affair that Baylor won on a last-second goal-line stand that foiled OSU’s College Football Playoff hopes. Now, we get a rematch that could once again have huge Big 12 and national implications. Cowboys QB Spencer Sanders has put up big numbers in the passing game this season, while Baylor’s run-heavy offense will look to control the clock on its home field. Expect a physical affair between two very disciplined teams with early Big 12 pole position on the line.

4. Kentucky at Ole Miss, Oct. 1, noon ET

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, Miss.

Demand Meter: 😍

Kentucky already has one big road win this season, knocking off Florida in Gainesville. Can it bolster its SEC East push with another, this time over a top-15 Rebels team? To do so, the Wildcats will need to slow down gifted QB Jaxson Dart and the two-headed RB monster of Zach Evans and Quinshon Judkins, who’ve combined for nearly 800 yards and nine touchdowns in four games. But Kentucky has a star QB of its own in Will Levis and an excellent defense. This one should be fun.

5. Michigan at Iowa, Oct. 1, noon ET

Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City

Demand Meter: 😀

The Wolverines faced adversity for the first time all season in last week’s grind-it-out victory over Maryland. Now, J.J. McCarthy’s squad hits the road to take on a vaunted Iowa defense that is somehow even tougher to play against in the friendly confines of Kinnick Stadium. It seems inevitable that the Hawkeyes’ defense will keep them around in this game, but can Iowa’s anemic offense led by struggling QB Spencer Petras score enough to pull the upset? There’s plenty of demand to be among the nearly 70,000 in attendance for this one, with average ticket prices around $250, per SI Tickets.

6. Wake Forest at Florida State, Oct. 1, 3:30 p.m. ET

Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee

Demand Meter: 😀

The resurgent Seminoles are 4–0 for the first time since 2015, and FSU has a chance to further assert itself in the ACC title race with a win Saturday against Sam Hartman and Wake Forest. QB Jordan Travis has been excellent for Mike Norvell’s team, and the Seminoles also have plenty of dangerous threats on the outside for Travis to distribute the ball to. There should be plenty of points scored in this one: Wake Forest hung 45 on Clemson last week, and FSU is averaging almost 38 points per game so far this season.

7. LSU at Auburn, Oct. 1, 7 p.m. ET

Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Ala.

Demand Meter: 😀

Embatted Auburn coach Bryan Harsin kept his job for another week after the Tigers survived in overtime against Missouri. Still, the performance certainly didn’t inspire much confidence in the Tigers going forward, as they punted or turned the ball over on downs on 10 consecutive series from the second quarter to the end of regulation. Auburn will certainly need to be better Saturday against an LSU team that’s finding its stride, but strange things tend to happen at Jordan-Hare Stadium … especially at night. Can Auburn pull the upset? Tickets for this SEC clash are listed on average for $137, per SI Tickets.

8. Washington at UCLA, Sept. 30, 10:30 p.m. ET

Rose Bowl, Pasadena

Demand Meter: 😀

This showdown between two 4–0 teams is quite the way to kick off the college football weekend on Friday. The Huskies have been resurgent in Kalen DeBoer’s first year, using an explosive offense led by Indiana transfer QB Michael Penix to knock off Michigan State and Stanford in back-to-back weeks. Washington has scored 35 or more points in all four games this season after doing so just twice in the last two seasons combined. We’ll see whether Penix can outduel star UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson in this one with both teams’ undefeated records on the line.

9. Oklahoma at TCU, Oct. 1, noon ET

Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth

Demand Meter: 🙂

Coming off their first loss of the Brent Venables era, the Sooners hit the road to take on undefeated TCU. OU’s defense looked improved through three weeks but got gashed for more than 500 yards by Kansas State in Week 4 and gave up five total touchdowns to QB Adrian Martinez. Oklahoma will need a stronger defensive showing against TCU, which ranks in the top 10 nationally in scoring offense early in Sonny Dykes’s first season as head coach. Per SI Tickets, the average price to attend this one is just under $240.

10. Stanford at Oregon, 11 p.m. ET

Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Ore.

Demand Meter: 🙂

Oregon played an absolute thriller a week ago, winning 44–41 in a game that featured 50 total fourth-quarter points against Washington State. The Ducks look the part of a Pac-12 contender, but that will require taking care of business against Stanford in Eugene this weekend. The Cardinal have caused plenty of problems for the Ducks of late, though, including an upset win last season in overtime. Tickets are listed on average for $206, per SI Tickets. 

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