Clemson football ticket demand already spiking for marquee game at Notre Dame

Clemson-Notre Dame 2022 is already living up to the hype.

Members of IPTAY, the Clemson athletics fundraising arm, filed 12,600 ticket requests earlier this month to attend the Tigers’ Nov. 5 game against the Fighting Irish in South Bend, Indiana — more than tripling the 3,900-ticket allotment that IPTAY will ultimately distribute for the road game.

During a two-week period earlier this month, IPTAY member requests also exceeded the school’s 4,300-ticket allotment for Clemson’s Sept. 5 Chick-fil-A Kickoff game against Georgia Tech in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, athletic department spokesperson Jeff Kallin told The State.

The Clemson-Notre Dame demand is significant but not surprising, given the two programs’ national stature and recent history. Their 2020 meeting was an instant classic, with the No. 4 Fighting Irish knocking off No. 1 Clemson 47-40 in double overtime despite 439 passing yards, three total touchdowns and zero turnovers from then-freshman quarterback DJ Uiagalelei in his second ever start.

Uiagalelei was starting in place of star quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who’d tested positive COVID-19 two weeks earlier and was just a few days removed from a mandatory quarantine.

Clemson avenged that loss, which snapped a 36-game regular-season win streak, by beating Notre Dame in the 2020 ACC Championship game one month later in Charlotte.

Notre Dame distributed 5,000 tickets to Clemson for this season’s non-conference road game, Kallin said, with about 1,100 of those going to coach and player guests, band members and staff.

IPTAY will distribute the other 3,900 remaining tickets, with its members paying anywhere from $125 for an upper bowl seat to $250 for a lower bowl seat in the 80,795-seat Notre Dame Stadium, widely considered one of college football’s most classic and historic venues.

As per usual for home institutions, Notre Dame gets to set the prices for guest tickets and collect revenue off them, Kallin said. On the secondary market, upper bowl tickets start around $239, per SeatGeek, with prime lower bowl seating stretching into the $500 to $700 range as of late June.

Clemson generally gets 4,300 tickets for each of its ACC road games, Kallin said, with IPTAY once again distributing whatever’s left after coach and player guests, band members and staff.

IPTAY requests have already exceeded that mark for the Tigers’ Sept. 5 opener. Although it’s being played in the Atlanta Falcons’ home stadium, it counts as a Georgia Tech home game.

Georgia Tech logically slots in behind Notre Dame on Clemson’s list of marquee road games, given its proximity and Monday night primetime status (8 p.m., ESPN).

Clemson also has a large contingent of Georgia players on its 2022 roster, which has increased player guest requests and prompted IPTAY to seek out further ticketing options to meet demand.

Clemson’s other three road games are Sept. 24 at Wake Forest, Oct. 8 at Boston College and Oct. 15 at Florida State. IPTAY member requests did not exceed the 4,300-ticket allotment for any of those three games during the organization’s initial June 7-21 request period, per Kallin.

Clemson 2022 football schedule

• Sept. 5 (Mon): at Georgia Tech, 8 p.m. (ESPN)

• Sept. 10: vs. Furman, 3:30 p.m. (ACC Network)

• Sept. 17: vs. Louisiana Tech, 8 p.m. (ACC Network)

• Sept. 24: at Wake Forest

• Oct. 1: vs. NC State

• Oct. 8: at Boston College

• Oct. 15: at Florida State

• Oct. 22: home vs. Syracuse

• Oct. 29: OPEN

• Nov. 5: at Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m.

• Nov. 12: vs. Louisville

• Nov. 19: vs. Miami

• Nov. 26: vs. South Carolina