Ohio State's visit to Penn State sets new high mark for ticket prices

5/4/2018
BY NICHOLAS PIOTROWICZ
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

COLUMBUS — Ohio State fans who wish to sprinkle a dash of scarlet in Penn State’s whiteout will do so at a price.

The Buckeyes’ Sept. 29 trip to Penn State features a $225 ticket, which the Allentown Morning Call reported is the most expensive ticket in the history of Beaver Stadium. The cheapest face-value ticket for that game is $110.

The new pricing represents a $25 increase from Ohio State’s trips to University Park, Pa., in 2014 and 2016. During both of those games, the most expensive face-value ticket was $200.

Penn State’s prices are on par with Ohio State’s home tickets for the Michigan game, at which single-game offerings range from $158-$222. The cheapest ticket to see the Buckeyes play in 2018 is a $54 ticket in the top four rows of the B Deck for OSU’s third home game, against Tulane.

Face-value tickets do not represent the cost on secondary-market retailers like StubHub and SeatGeek, where tickets for marquee games often sell for much more than their printed value.

The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions have played two thrilling games in a row, with the home team pulling off an improbable comeback late in the fourth quarter. In 2016, Penn State blocked an Ohio State field goal and returned it for a touchdown to take its first lead with fewer than five minutes remaining in the game, which it won 24-21.

In 2017, the Buckeyes trailed by 11 with inside the final five minutes, but rallied with two late touchdowns to win the game 39-38 in regulation.

In both cases, the victor of the Ohio State-Penn State game went on to win the Big Ten.

The Nittany Lions already have chosen Ohio State as its annual whiteout game, during which all the Penn State fans in attendance wear white.

For the general public, tickets go on sale June 26 for the Ohio State at Penn State game.

Contact Nicholas Piotrowicz at npiotrowicz@theblade.com, 419-724-6110 or on Twitter @NickPiotrowicz