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 price is driven by the most expensive hotdogs in college football at $15 each, according to Oddspedia.
Tickets to Seminoles’ games are also pricey, 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.
Success in the previous year is a typical 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 its last seven games, beat Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl, finished the season ranked 11th in the AP poll, its 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 against Louisville. Quarterback Caleb Williams became the first pick of the NFL draft. USC joined the Big Ten starting this season.
• Kansas: won nine 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, 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 the team can reach the newly expanded 12-team playoff, most of the fanbase will be all right with paying a little more.
(Editor’s note: The fact the Seminoles have shockingly started the season 0-2 with a 24-21 loss to Georgia Tech and a 28-13 home loss to Boston College Monday night certainly makes the price increases harder for fans to swallow, especially since the Seminoles were 11.5-point favorites against Georgia Tech and 16.5 favorites Monday against the Eagles.)
Cole Pepper has covered professional, college and high school sports in Florida since 1996. Originally from the Kansas City area, Pepper came to Jacksonville to launch a sports radio station, the first step in a career that has included work in radio, television, and online reporting. He was the studio host for the Jaguars radio network for 15 seasons and now consults for JAX USL, the group bringing professional men’s and women’s soccer to northeast Florida. You can reach Cole at colepepper1@gmail.com or on Twitter @ColePepper.
