Bulldogs in Forbes

Forbes recently released this examination into which college football games will demand the highest ticket prices this season.

First on the list, no surprise, is USC at Notre Dame (10/17). Notre Dame has the nation's largest fanbase, most likely because the Catholic church frowns upon the use of contraception, and USC has the most popular college football team in the country's most populous state.

However, number two may raise some eyebrows.

Forbes reveals that ticket prices at every single University of Georgia game played at the team's home of Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia will eclipse the asking price of tickets for any other game in the 2009 season.

Which means the November 7th game against Tennessee Tech, even if the Dawgs limp in with three losses and no remaining BCS hopes, will demand a heftier sum than "The Red River Shootout," featuring two National Championship-caliber teams and a Heisman favorite in Colt McCoy. More than the heralded LSU-Florida matchup at Death Valley.

What conclusions can we draw from this revelation? Certainly that the level of enthusiasm for Georgia football surmounts that of any other team in the country, even in spite of the team's lackluster pre-season ranking (15th by Sports Illustrated).

And don't go looking at stadium capacity figures to argue that ticket scarcity could be an explanation for the exceptionally high ticket prices asked for Georgia games.

Sanford Stadium holds upwards of 92,000 people. The Cotton Bowl (site of OU-Texas) holds roughly the same amount (92,200) and Death Valley fills up to a similar 92,400.

I'm just presenting the facts as illuminated by Forbes. Don't let my UGA-bias sway you. Take a look at the numbers and draw conclusions for yourself. However, it sure is hard to argue that passion for Georgia football may very well be the most fervent in the nation.