Less than three weeks before kickoff, ticket prices aren't getting any friendlier for Alabama's opener with Florida State.

They're actually getting higher as the game approaches.

Surveying three major ticket resale websites, the least expensive seat on the market is $551 for the Sept. 2 game in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Back in June, seats were available for $419 on SeatGeek.com.

According to StubHub.com, Alabama-Florida State tickets are by far the hottest in the nation.

Based on sales data through Aug. 1, it is outselling the second most popular game (Michigan vs. Florida in Arlington, Texas) by 34 percent. Compared to last year's opener in Atlanta (Georgia vs. North Carolina), sales are up 266 percent for the Crimson Tide and Seminoles.

The average price of an Alabama-Florida ticket was $845 on StubHub as of Aug. 1. The average for Michigan-Florida was $259.

The highly-anticipated showdown between Alabama and Florida State has been sold out practically from the start. Tickets never went on sale to the general public with both schools plowing through their contracted allotment.

Face value for seats ranged between $225 and $125 with a limited number of student tickets sold for $50 a pop.

Even the worst seats are selling for more than $600 a piece when including online service fees of $100-plus. Club and suite tickets are being offered for several thousand dollars.

The high demand for teams ranked No. 1 and No. 3 in the preseason coaches poll and the allure of a new stadium helped drive prices beyond even a championship-game level.

Cheapest seats now ... and from June.

StubHub $605 ... $531

SeatGeek $603 ... $419

VividSeats $690 ... $455

*Includes fees