Penn State will welcome Big Ten rival Washington University to Beaver Stadium for the November Whiteout, and the Penn State football department announced the theme game for the 2024 season on Monday, including the date and opponent for the highly anticipated Whiteout.
The Penn State Nittany Lions will host the Washington Huskies on Nov. 9 for the 16th sold-out Whiteout game in Beaver Stadium history. This will be Washington's first appearance at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions lead the series against Washington 3-0, and the teams have met twice in bowl games. Penn State defeated the Huskies 35-28 in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl.
The announcement put an end to months of speculation about the 2024 Penn State White-Out Game, a game that has sparked debate about its value to Penn State, the Big Ten and college football as a whole. Penn State coach James Franklin has hinted that he would like the Nittany Lions to host Ohio State in the annual White-Out, but that game on November 2 may air on Fox Big Noon. Instead, Penn State will host Washington in the White-Out a week later. Penn State has designated its November 2 game against Ohio State as a “helmet stripe” game, which is essentially a white-out game in which some fans in Beaver Stadium will wear blue.
“I think I'm probably just like the fans, I want it all.” Franklin in June“You rarely get everything in life. I'm sure I'll like the opponent and the time slot, but again, it's difficult. The time slot issue is really difficult because of when they pick the primetime matches now. … Right now, it can be 12, 7 or 3:30 depending on the different TV stations. You never know what's going to happen, based on what they think will get the most attention. I'm with the fans. I hope we get it all, but we just don't know yet.”
Related: History of the Penn State Whiteout
The Penn State vs. Washington game will be just the second November Whiteout in history. In 2015, Penn State hosted Michigan for a Whiteout on November 21, which also served as the Nittany Lions' Senior Day and final home game of the regular season. Penn State has hosted seven stadium-wide Whiteout games in September and seven in October.
Penn State Football 2024 Theme Game
Penn State has announced its complete set of seven home themed games for 2024.
Sept. 7 vs. Bowling Green (noon BTN): THON Games, Youth Sports & Spirit Day, 107K Family Reunion, and Faculty Appreciation Day.
Sept. 14 vs. Kent State (kickoff time TBA): Military Appreciation Day
Sept. 28 vs. Illinois (3:30, 4 or 7:30 p.m.): Homecoming
Oct. 5 vs. UCLA (kickoff time TBA): Penn State Stripe Out Game
Nov. 2 vs. Ohio State (kickoff time TBA): Helmet Stripes Game
Nov. 9 vs. Washington (kickoff time TBA): Penn State Whiteout
Nov. 30 vs. Maryland: Senior Day
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AllPennState is the home for Penn State news, opinions and views on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years and has followed three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and plenty of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter ). Mark Wogenrich.
