Ohio State has stormed through the season undefeated so far, powered by a top-10 defense in the country. The next challenge, though, is in Seattle, the home of the Washington Huskies. The Huskies are competing neck to neck, with their offense sitting 10th nationally, 11 spots ahead of OSU. The defense, too, is elite and is ranked 23rd nationally. An upset possibility is thus looming large for Ohio State, making it probably one of the most underrated games of the week. And Washington advertised it the same way, pricing the tickets at $300. However, the move is now backfiring on the University.

According to recent reports, Husky Stadium, with a capacity of 70,138, is seeing empty seats with prices having dropped as low as $86. Now with the game airing at 3.30 PM ET today, not much time is left for it to start. So, would we see empty seats at the matchup? And should UW have priced the tickets at a much lower price initially?

Apart from tickets going for $86, $91 tickets are also available, going up to as high as $246. However, no tickets are priced at $300 now. For marquee games, like the one in Week 1 in Columbus involving Texas and Ohio State, ticket prices ranged from $300 and went as high as $4,000, depending on the seat. But the game was still sold out, considering the level of support Ohio State garners in the state of Ohio. But is that the case for the Washington Huskies in the state?

There’s no doubt that the Huskies are Washington’s flagship program, boasting around  2-3 million national fans and around 1 million fans in-state. Loyalty, too, has seen a resurgence for the program after their 2023 natty run, and the atmosphere at Husky Stadium is one of the most intimidating in the country, and the stadium sells out consistently. There’s no doubt then the Huskies are deeply embedded in the state’s culture, with some loyalty shared by Washington State. But why the empty seats?

It’s actually not that concerning for the Huskies, at least to fill the seats. We have seen tickets being sold quite late, and just an hour before the game, so the seats that are left to be filled will probably sell out before the game. Moreover, waiting late is actually a strategy that fans employ for getting cheap tickets. As for the game’s predictions, Ohio State isn’t that favored as advertised.

Predictions for the Ohio State and Washington matchup

Ohio State is 3-0 this season, and so is Washington, although Washington hasn’t faced a team like Texas. That said, Washington’s QB Demond Williams Jr is slinging those passes for good, garnering 1,722 yards so far at a stellar 76.3% efficiency. Despite that, OSU is an 8.5 favorite for the game. However, a major CFB personality and former OSU alum still favors Washington for a potential upset despite Ryan Day’s team’s quality.

“Ohio State, by the way, what a test they’re going to have this week at Washington. I don’t care. I don’t even know if Washington’s ranked. I don’t think they are. If you’ve ever been to Seattle to watch a college football game, you know how tough it is. And they got skill. Demond Williams is playing as well as any quarterback in the country,” said college football announcer Kirk Herbstreit.

Ryan Day’s team has never regressed since the 2024 season. The team has elite defense, receivers in Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith, and Julian Sayin is starting to play well. All of that makes chances tough for Washington. But Washington is looking to get back to its 2023 season’s ways under Jedd Fisch, and the team has everything to do so. The receiving corps has Denzel Boston, who received for 800+ yards last season, along with players like Omari Evans and Rashid Williams. Not just that, Jedd Fisch’s running back Jonah Coleman is coming after a 1,000+ yard season. Surely, then, Ohio State is the 8.5-point favorite looks to be just on paper.