re: LSU vs USC Tickets?

I'm planning to go with my son (who will have just turned 21), but there's no way around it being a pricey trip. From the DFW area, I cobbled together an airfare for $440 pp (heading out there on American, coming back on Southwest). Then I used Hilton points to book a room at the Waldorf Astoria (would not have chosen this if I didn't have the points--cash rates were $750/night, and now they're completely sold out). Any halfway decent hotel on the Strip is going to run you a fair bit that weekend, though if you are willing to dip to an Excalibur-type level or stay downtown, you can find something under $200/night.

One thing that makes the airfare tricky for us is that we have to travel Friday to Monday, and I'm not willing to do the 5:30 am-type departures. If you can go Saturday to Tuesday and/or don't care about times, you can find cheaper fares.

Anyway, I hope to eventually find tickets in the $200 each range, but we'll see...