Texas Football: 2011 Longhorns Season Ticket Prices on the Upswing

As if $5 hot dogs and $8 soft drinks weren't enough, the Texas athletic department has raised ticket prices for the upcoming 2011 Texas Longhorns football season.

Season tickets for the Texas home games will cost fans $395. Keep in mind, though, that this $395 is face value only and does not include the substantial donations that are required to the Longhorn Foundation to even emerge on the radar to be eligible for season passes when they become available.

Texas charged $400 for season tickets that covered seven home games in 2010, averaging $57 per ticket for face value.

On the surface this raise in prices doesn't seem all that substantial, but consider for a moment what it represents.

Texas is convinced it can continue to charge fans what it desires, regardless of its most recent performance on the field, and they are probably right. The value of the Longhorn brand is undeniable, regardless of whether the teams wearing the burnt orange and white always live up to expectations.

Not everyone is convinced that ticket prices should remain static, or incrementally increase.

Companies like Austin's QCue have developed dynamic pricing, which takes into consideration factors like weather, opponent, overall demand and the home team's performance to help teams price tickets in a way that makes the most sense given each individual game.

This idea challenges the fact that prices should always be the same, regardless of circumstances that intervene.

If the Longhorns cannot manage the quick turn-around that everyone expects in 2011, the athletic administration's ability to raise prices on tickets and everything associated with Texas sports may lose some leverage.

Do you think that Texas is justified in raising season ticket prices regardless of performance on the field?

Does the business of college sports trump a fan's common sense?