Less than three months from the start of the 2024 college football season, one major scheduling plot point remains: When is the Penn State White Out? The question reveals much about modern college football scheduling, the fan experience and the value of certain television properties, namely the FOX Big Noon Kickoff.
Penn State has yet to announce a date for the 2024 White Out at Beaver Stadium, keeping its plans quiet on scheduling. Penn State's 2024 home schedule includes just one announced kickoff time (a noon start for the Sept. 7 home opener against Bowling Green) and a whole lot of speculation.
Could the Sept. 28 game against Illinois (already tabbed for late-afternoon or evening kickoff) host the White Out? What about UCLA's visit to Beaver Stadium the following week? The Nittany Lions also host Ohio State on Nov. 2 and Washington on Nov. 9, both potential dates for the White Out. But all those dates give rise to another question. Does the White Out have to be at night?
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Penn State has hosted 15 full-stadium White Out games since the first in 2007, when Notre Dame visited for the inaugural full-stadium event. Since then, just one White Out game has kicked off earlier than 3:30 p.m. That was Michigan's 2015 visit, which marked 1) the latest full-stadium White Out in the game's history and 2) the only noon kickoff. Penn State hosted Michigan for not only the White Out but also Senior Day, since the Nov. 21 game was the last at Beaver Stadium that season.
The Wolverines won 28-16, and the announced crowd of 107,418 was the smallest for a Penn State White Out. However, the game also was played during the students' Thanksgiving break, which usually affects attendance. Still, every White Out since (even the 2020 no-fans game against Ohio State) has kicked off at 7:30 p.m. or later.
Since 2010, Penn State has staged the White Out for the perceived biggest home game of the season. Michigan and Ohio State traded visits every year from 2010-20 except for 2011, when Alabama visited for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff. But FOX changed the White Out scheduling model by platforming its highest-profile games on Big Noon Kickoff.
Following that 2020 White Out game vs. Ohio State, Penn State has played the annual home game vs. the Buckeyes or Wolverines in a noon kick. As a result, Penn State shifted the White Out to other games, preserving the night kick. The Nittany Lions hosted Auburn in 2021, Minnesota in 2022 and Iowa in 2023.
Penn State already is scheduled for one Big Noon game in its opener against West Virginia on Aug. 31. FOX likely will schedule the Nov. 2 Penn State-Ohio State game at Beaver Stadium for a noon start as well, taking that off the table for a White Out night game.
So Penn State faces a decision. Does it move off Ohio State once more and schedule another team for the White Out, potentially Illinois on Sept. 28? Or does it cede the night environment and host a noon White Out against the Buckeyes.
The question might not have an immediate answer. On a recent edition of the Joel Klatt Show, Mike Mulvihill, FOX Sports president of data and analytics, noted that the Nov. 2 Big Ten schedule features two blockbuster games: Ohio State-Penn State and Oregon-Michigan. Mulvihill covered a complex variety of factors with Klatt, including the potential advertising impact of the presidential election on which game it broadcasts. Ultimately, Mulvihill said, FOX traded its pick for the Nov. 2 date to another network, which has not announced which its broadcast plans.
Ultimately, the question for Penn State is this: Does the White Out have to be at night? As a brand, the Penn State White Out of course benefits from the blimp coverage of a white-canvassed Beaver Stadium beaming at night. The aesthetic isn't as palpable during the day. Nor is the in-stadium atmosphere, particularly at kickoff.
For that reason, most fans prefer a night White Out, but so does Penn State football's recruiting division. The White Out is by far Penn State football's biggest in-season recruiting event. In a recent presentation to Penn State's Board of Trustees about the Beaver Stadium renovation plan, Athletic Director Patrick Kraft said that more than 300 prospects attended the 2023 White Out Game. With family members, that number topped 2,000 guests to impress for the White Out.
"The impact and the electricity that it provides to our town and for our state and for the hotels and restaurants and bars and local economy, for our students and for our campus and community, I think it's special. I really do," Penn State coach James Franklin has said of the White Out. "You talk about putting us in position for our future in recruiting and showing student-athletes the type of environment that they'll be able to play in, in one of the most beautiful settings in college football. When it comes to the campus, the town, and the community, all these things matter."
Penn State has positioned the importance of a White Out environment over opponent the past three seasons. In each case, the decision proved wise. But this year's decision is different. Does Penn State host a night White Out against Illinois, which went 5-7 last year, or test another noon kick potentially against Ohio State or UCLA?
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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.
