Ranking Tennessee football's most expensive road games by ticket prices

Tennessee football season tickets are sold out, and single-game tickets for home games are very limited.

But there are a few opportunities to see the Vols on the road if you’re willing to pay the price.

There are no cheap seats for fans traveling to UT road games. The rock-bottom ticket price ranges from $50 to see the Vols play North Carolina State to $309 to attend the UT-Georgia game.

Of course, those are upper-deck seats. And the prices rise steeply from there.

Tickets for most UT road games start at more than $100, and some reach into the thousands.

Here is a ranking of UT’s five road games based on the ticket prices on the secondary market, and why they’re in such high demand.

1. Georgia could be play-in game for College Football Playoff

Lowest ticket prices: $297 (VividSeats), $309 (SeatGeek), $309 (StubHub) plus fees.

In 2022, ESPN’s Field Yates reported that the game between No. 1 Tennessee and No. 3 Georgia was the most expensive ticket for a regular-season college football game on record, according to TickPick.com.

That ticket cost $197 before the season, but it skyrocketed to $626 by gameday.

Georgia won 27-13, paving its path to the College Football Playoff.

This 2024 game will be on Nov. 16 in Athens. Perhaps it could be sort of a CFP play-in game for the Vols and Bulldogs, especially with the field expanding to 12 teams. If so, the prices will continue to rise.

2. Josh Heupel’s return to Oklahoma

Lowest ticket prices: $201 (VividSeats), $204 (StubHub), $211 (SeatGeek) plus fees.

According to VividSeats.com, only 3% of tickets are available to the Tennessee-Oklahoma game on Sept. 21 at Memorial Stadium, which has a capacity of 80,125.

There’s a two-fold reason for that high demand.

It is Oklahoma’s first conference game as a new SEC member. And it marks the return of Tennessee coach Josh Heupel, who led the Sooners to the 2000 national championship as a Heisman Trophy runner-up quarterback.

3. Vanderbilt is UT’s home away from home

Lowest ticket prices: $110 (VividSeats), $120 (StubHub) plus fees; $164 (SeatGeek) including fees.

This is an in-state rivalry, but it hasn’t been competitive in recent years. The Vols have won five straight in the series by an average margin of 29.4 points.

So why would ticket prices start above $100 for this Nov. 30 game in Nashville?

There are Tennessee fans spread across the state, and this is more convenient for many in the Midstate to see the Vols closer to home. It’s also at a discounted price compared to home games at Neyland Stadium.

Vanderbilt fans and Nashville-based ticket vendors know that. So they often jack up the price on the secondary market, knowing that UT fans will pay.

4. Arkansas ticket prices dip, but not too much

Lowest ticket prices: $87 (VividSeats), $89 (SeatGeek), $93 (StubHub) plus fees.

Prices drop below $100 for this Tennessee game on Oct. 5 in Fayetteville, but those seats are on the top row of Donald W. Reynolds Stadium.

The Vols have played five games at Arkansas in the past 25 years. But this trip will be less frequent with the SEC expanding to 16 teams.

So this may be the last chance for UT fans to go to Arkansas for a while.

The only other Arkansas home game with higher ticket prices is its Nov. 16 contest against Texas, an old rival from their Southwest Conference days. Those tickets start around $150.

5. Nico Iamaleava vs. NC State isn’t cheap either

Lowest ticket prices: $50 (StubHub), $57 (VividSeats), $57 (SeatGeek) plus fees.

This seems like a steal compared to other Tennessee road games. But it still won’t be cheap to see the Vols play NC State in the Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte on Sept. 7.

It’s technically a neutral site game at Bank of America Stadum, home of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. It has a capacity of 74,867.

Upper-level tickets are under $100. But most tickets in the lower level and second level cost between $200 and $300.

Tennessee plays Chattanooga in the opener on Aug. 31 at Neyland Stadium. So this game against NC State will be the first true test of the 2024 season for the Vols and quarterback Nico Iamaleava, which makes it a hot ticket.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Emailadam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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