With just under three months until the start of the 2024 college football season, one important scheduling question remains: When will the Penn State whiteout occur? This question reveals a lot about modern college football schedules, the fan experience, and the value of certain television shows like FOX Big Noon Kickoff.
Penn State has yet to announce the dates for the 2024 Whiteout at Beaver Stadium and has remained quiet about its scheduling plans. Penn State's 2024 home schedule has only one announced kickoff time (a noon kickoff for the home opener against Bowling Green on Sept. 7) and has been subject to a lot of speculation.
Could the White Out take place at the Illinois game on Sept. 28 (already scheduled for a late afternoon or early evening kickoff)? What about UCLA's visit to Beaver Stadium the following week? The Nittany Lions host Ohio State on Nov. 2 and Washington on Nov. 9, both potential White Out dates. But those dates raise another question: Should the White Out take place at night?
RELATED: How Penn State's Whiteout became the greatest show in sports
Penn State has hosted 15 full-stadium white-out games since Notre Dame hosted the first full-stadium white-out game in 2007. Since then, there has been only one white-out game that kicked off before 3:30 p.m. – Michigan's 2015 visit, which had 1) the latest stadium-wide white-out in game history and 2) the only noon kickoff. Penn State not only hosted Michigan for a white-out, but also on Senior Day, as the Nov. 21 game was the final game at Beaver Stadium that season.
The Wolverines won 28-16, and the announced attendance of 107,418 was the smallest attendance ever for a Penn State Whiteout, though that game was played during the student Thanksgiving break, which typically impacts attendance. Still, every Whiteout since (including the 2020 game against Ohio State without fans) has kicked off after 7:30 p.m.
Since 2010, Penn State has hosted the White Out for what is considered the biggest home game of the season. Michigan State and Ohio State alternated visits each year from 2010-2020, with Alabama visiting in 2011 with a 3:30 pm kickoff. However, FOX changed its White Out scheduling model to broadcast its most highly-anticipated games with the Big Noon kickoff.
Following a whiteout game against Ohio State in 2020, Penn State played its annual home game against the Buckeyes or Wolverines with a noon kickoff. As a result, Penn State changed the whiteout to other games and kept the night kickoff. The Nittany Lions will host Auburn in 2021, Minnesota in 2022 and Iowa in 2023.
Pennsylvania State University has already One Big Noon match scheduled FOX is set to begin broadcasting the season opener against West Virginia on Aug. 31. FOX also plans to have a noon start for the Penn State-Ohio State game at Beaver Stadium on Nov. 2, but will likely forgo that for the whiteout night game.
So Penn State is faced with a decision: Will it move from Ohio State again and play another team in the Whiteout, perhaps against Illinois on Sept. 28, or will it cede the evening setting and hold a Whiteout against the Buckeyes at noon?
This question may not be answered immediately. The Joel Klatt ShowMike Mulvihill, president of data and analytics for FOX Sports, noted that the Big Ten Conference schedule for Nov. 2 includes two high-profile games: Ohio State vs. Penn State and Oregon vs. Michigan. Mulvihill discussed a variety of complex factors with Klatt, including the potential advertising impact of which games the presidential election might broadcast. Ultimately, Mulvihill said, FOX ceded the choice of Nov. 2 broadcast date to another network, which has not announced which one it will broadcast.
Ultimately, the question for Penn State is: does the Whiteout really need to take place at night? As a brand, the Penn State Whiteout, of course, benefits from blimp coverage of the white canvas of Beaver Stadium, which glows at night. Its beauty is less apparent during the day, as is the atmosphere inside the stadium, especially at kickoff.
So while most fans love Whiteout Night, so does the Penn State football recruiting department. The Whiteout is Penn State's biggest recruiting event of the season. In a recent presentation to the Penn State Board of Regents, the department said: Beaver Stadium Renovation PlanAthletic director Patrick Kraft said more than 300 prospects attended the Whiteout Game in 2023. When you include family members, the number of guests impressed by the Whiteout exceeds 2,000.
“I think the impact and the energy it brings to the town, the state, the hotels, restaurants, bars, the local economy, the students, the campus and the community is something special. I really do,” Penn State coach James Franklin said of the Whiteout. “It's one of the most beautiful stages in college football and it positions us well for the future in terms of recruiting student-athletes and showcasing the type of environment they can play in. All of those things are important when it comes to the campus, the town and the community.”
Penn State has prioritized the white-out environment over its opponent for the past three seasons. In each case, the decision proved wise. But this year's decision will be different. Will Penn State host a nighttime white-out against Illinois, which went 5-7 last year, or will it test a daytime kickoff against Ohio State or UCLA?
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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 countless great stories. Follow @MarkWogenrich on Twitter.
