For Penn State-Ohio State, an Affordable Ticket Market

A noon start and a betting line sharply favoring Ohio State could be curbing ticket prices.

Penn State hosts Ohio State at noon ET Saturday, marking the first time since 2009 that the teams have kicked off in a pre-primetime window at Beaver Stadium. As a result, ticket prices are running in the affordable range, particularly for those in the upper levels.

According to SI Tickets, the lowest-priced tickets for the Penn State-Ohio State game range from $70-$90 in Beaver Stadium's upper deck. By comparison, tickets for Saturday night's Michigan-Michigan State game at Michigan Stadium start around $250. The same goes for Tennessee's prime-time game against Kentucky, making those the two most popular games on Saturday's college football schedule, according to SI Tickets.

The reasons are varied for the relative bargain-buying options at Penn State. For one thing, this edition of Penn State-Ohio State is a rare non-White Out. The teams last kicked off in daylight hours at Beaver Stadium in 2009 for a 3:30 start.

In addition, Penn State is a 15.5-point underdog, according to SI Sportsbook, which might deter some fans from making secondary-market purchases. Ohio State fans, however, could scoop up some of those available tickets, a situation Penn State coach James Franklin wants to avoid.

"Don't allow anybody to get our tickets," Franklin said. "Let's dominate that stadium next week again with our fans, make it a real challenging environment."

Franklin is looking for his second win over Ohio State since becoming Penn State's head coach in 2014. However, Franklin's teams have played the Buckeyes closer than any other in the Big Ten East during that stretch.

Ohio State's average margin of victory is just 10 points in its seven wins over Penn State since 2014. The average margin of victory in the series' last game, including Penn State's 2016 win, is 6.3 points.

Check out SI Tickets to see what seats are available for Saturday's Penn State-Ohio State game at Beaver Stadium.

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.