Photo Credit: Jerry Ting/Neon Tommy. 

Originally posted at TrojanWire:

A few seasons ago USC earned the top spot in the preseason polls thanks to the belief that quarterback Matt Barkley, and receivers Marquise Lee and Robert Woods would form a dominant offense. But not only did that team disappoint, but last season the Trojans struggled once again. Not only did it lead to the firing of head coach Lane Kiffin, it also led to relatively inexpensive USC games on the secondary market last season.

This season expectations are relatively high again, with USC landing a 15^th ranking in the preseason polls. That number also directly relates to where they are for ticket prices on the secondary market. According to TiqIQ, USC has the 15^th most expensive tickets in the nation this year with a $143.67 average. That’s a huge increase from the season before, when the average price dropped to $84.16 after the tough losses started to mount for the Trojans. Home games on the USC football schedule will be 71% more expensive than last season, which is one of the largest price increases in the entire nation.

But while expectations are up for USC, they’re also up for the entire Pac-12 conference. The conference has recently started to challenge the SEC for dominance in the sport with Oregon, Stanford and UCLA also looking like real contenders for the conference title and College Football Playoffs this season. In fact, overall the depth of the conference has improved mightily with competitive teams up and down the board.

That hype has even led to a price increase for one of the most hyped matchups in Southern California. UCLA and USC face off every year and last season the average was pretty high at $234.47, and a get-in price at $101 at the Coliseum. This season the game will be played at the Rose Bowl as a UCLA home game and the average price has increased 29%t for an average of $302.32. The get-in price didn’t increase much, with the cheapest ticket currently at $104.

That game isn’t the only one with expensive tickets. The team also hosts Notre Dame for a game that currently has a $257 average and an $82 get-in price. Notre Dame is another team like USC that has a successful history, but has struggled to live up to that hype that last several years. Granted they had a big outlier year a couple seasons ago when they made the national championship game behind an undefeated regular season. This season Notre Dame is ranked just a bit behind the Trojans at 17 on the AP preseason poll.

The next most expensive game of the seasons comes August 30 against Fresno State. The game currently has an average price of $135 and a get-in price of $43 for USC’s first home game of the season.

USC has struggled since Pete Carroll left, and the team received sanctions for breaking NCAA regulations. Entering this season with a new head coach in Steve Sarkisian, the team is hopeful that they’re heading in the right direction. So far that means a 15^th ranking in the preseason poll, and increased ticket prices on the secondary market.