Josiah-Price-Msu.jpg

Michigan State tight end Josiah Price and Ohio State cornerback Eli Apple both return and figure to be matched up again in 2015.

(J. Scott Park | MLive.com)

EAST LANSING -- Michigan State's back-to-back top-5 ranked finishes are apparently making the Spartans a hotter ticket on the road.

At least, that's the case in Columbus, Ohio.

Ohio State announced it will use a "variable pricing model" for its 2015 football tickets, which is another way of saying that tickets will cost different amounts depending on the opponent.

"That will include reducing the prices for some games while also designating two premier games on the schedule,'' according to the school release.

The defending national champions' home games with Penn State (Oct. 17) and Michigan State (Nov. 21) have been selected as the premier games. It will cost $150 for the game with the Spartans and $125 per ticket for the contest with the Nittany Lions.

On the lower end of the spectrum, the Buckeyes' home games with Hawaii and Western Michigan have been cut $14 from last year's standard pricing down to $65 per ticket.

"We have the best fans in the land," Gene Smith, Ohio State's athletic director, said in the release. "We led the nation in attendance last year and would like to continue to hold that position. Considering the great fans we have, it is the perfect season to thank our fans by implementing this model now."

Ohio Stadium's capacity is 104,944, and Ohio State averaged a nation-best 106,296 per game this past season. A school record 108,610 fans attended the game against Michigan.

Michigan State ranked 20th in the nation and sixth in the Big Ten in home attendance, averaging 74,681 per game, an increase of 3 percent from 2013.

Spartans athletic director Mark Hollis has not yet addressed Michigan State football ticket pricing for the 2015 season.

The winner of the Ohio State-Michigan State game has won the Big Ten championship the past two seasons, and both teams are early preseason top 10 picks in 2015.