Brian Manzullo

Detroit Free Press

Western Michigan football fans, if you're debating a trip to Dallas to check out the Cotton Bowl in person, allow this to fuel your decision.

Since Sunday's announcement that the 13-0 Broncos will face No. 8 Wisconsin in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, ticket prices have plunged on the secondary market.

While the official Cotton Bowl Ticketmaster site is still charging $150 per ticket in the nosebleed seats at "Jerry World," you can find similar (or better) seats on, say, StubHub, for as low as $6 apiece.

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Yes, that's $6 to watch a New Year's Six bowl in person. Even a draft beer at AT&T Stadium costs more ($9). Midlevel seats are $50-$150, and lower-level bowl seats can be had for less than $200 a pop.

The cheapest ticket to see Michigan and Florida State in the Orange Bowl is $130. The Rose Bowl between Penn State and USC? $225. The Sugar Bowl between Oklahoma and Auburn is a tad cheaper, but the cheapest ticket still runs you $88 on StubHub.

Why the steep decline on the secondary market? One obvious reason is the inclusion of No. 15 Western Michigan, the highest-ranked Group of 5 conference champion in the final College Football Playoff rankings. Though WMU joins No. 1 Alabama as one of two undefeated FBS teams in the country, it lacks the draw of Power 5 schools that traditionally make a big-time bowl game such as the Cotton Bowl.

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Look at what happened in 2012. Northern Illinois, the Mid-American Conference champion that year, was controversially selected to play Florida State in the Orange Bowl because it was ranked No. 15 in the final BCS standings. As a result, ticket prices on StubHub plunged to as low as $10, forcing FSU to cut its allotted ticket prices in half and guaranteeing a loss in revenue. Meanwhile, NIU gave free tickets to students willing to make the trek to Miami for the game.

The Seminoles won that game, 31-10.

So, what does this mean if you're a Broncos fan? Not much. It just means a trip to see your football team in a New Year's Six bowl is that much cheaper.

If you're looking to fly, Detroit-to-Dallas prices are a little high (we're seeing costs between $500 and $700 roundtrip on Google Flights for a four- to six-day trip), but Chicago-to-Dallas is a solid alternative for cheaper (between $300 and $400).

You also could check out WMU's travel packages via Anthony Travel, though you're likely paying a steeper ticket price as part of the package.

Contact Brian Manzullo: bmanzullo@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrianManzullo.

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