In this approach, Tech can capture the full price that fans are willing to pay for games like Georgia or Clemson – many of them fans of Tech’s opponent – that in the past might have gone to ticket brokers. To that end, Tech has also reduced the number of season tickets it has sold to brokers.

“So the revenue is coming back to us, not the broker,” said Marvin Lewis, Tech associate athletic director for finance and administration.

Tech is calling it a “3D” approach – pricing will be data-driven, demand-based and dynamic in nature. The department will set prices based on recommendations from Atlanta-based Kaizen Analytix, which uses artificial-intelligence algorithms incorporating ticket transaction data and other factors to determine pricing models. The prices will begin at $130 for tickets in the upper corners of the east and west stands. (The seats in the upper north stands are part of Georgia’s 8,000-seat allotment.) For the 2017 game at Bobby Dodd Stadium, the average ticket price on StubHub was $162.

“I could see (prices) changing daily, especially if tickets are moving quickly,” Castle said.

The approach for the athletic department to sell tickets at adjustable prices, particularly at prices that could escalate given the willingness of Georgia fans to pay heavy premiums to see the Bulldogs, might be off-putting to some fans who are used to teams sticking to set prices. Castle noted that Tech has rewarded its most loyal fans – its season-ticket holders – by offering them UGA tickets for $90 earlier in the year and now $100, a price that will remain no matter what happens with the public sales price.

The ticket office has also pushed a different product, the Stinger Mobile pass, which is similarly priced to multi-game packs (starting at $149) but grants entry to all seven of the Jackets’ home games. The difference is that the seats are assigned only at the stadium, making re-sale highly difficult.

Regardless, it’s a new venture with an objective of increasing revenue. Tech is facing a particularly tight financial squeeze. The department ran a $9.6 million deficit in the 2019 fiscal year and is projecting a $1.7 million deficit this year.

The sales strategy for the Georgia game is considered a test run for the athletic department. It’s possible that similar ventures could be used for marquee home games for men’s basketball, such as games against Duke or Louisville.

The ticket office will start a pre-sale Thursday. Fans can register through the single-game ticket-sales page on the Tech website.