It might not be the White Out that will be the biggest. It might not be the White Out that brings the largest reading on the seismometers at the Millennium Science Building. It even might not be the White Out that drives the biggest ratings.
But it might be the most well-timed White Out.
As Penn State looks to bounce back from its first loss of the season, the Nittany Lions will get some much needed home cooking from a well-timed White Out, the program’s grandest showcase, against Washington in the two programs’ first ever Big Ten matchup.
This is not Penn State’s biggest game – at least from the fan perspective – of the season. In years past, the White Out was preserved or decided based on that factor.
No, that game happened last weekend, and of course, that game did not go the way many fans had planned.
Once again, for the eighth year in a row, Ohio State got the better Penn State and James Franklin.
However, largely thanks to a key win earlier in the year over another Big Ten newcomer, USC, Penn State still has all of its opportunities on the table. First and foremost, winning out virtually locks up a home College Football Playoff berth as well as an 11-win regular season, which would be a first under Franklin. And yes, Penn State remains loosely in the conversation for a trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten title game – granted the Nittany Lions would need some help and then some.
But Penn State still has to take care of business before it accomplishes any of that and that’s not always been the case. Penn State is just 18-16 all-time under Franklin following a loss. And while in the last two seasons Penn State is 4-0 after a loss, memories of 2017 or even 2022 still linger.
That word “linger” has been hanging over Penn State’s head in 2024, too. Ohio State – and the search for a big win over a team like that – will still linger until the next opportunity arises. That could be this postseason or it could be next year. Questions about Penn State’s passing game also linger.
For an offense that looked explosive early in the year, the Lions wide receivers haven’t found their groove of late, recording just 147 yards in the loss to Ohio State – one of the many pieces of data one can point to that explain why Penn State is still searching for that big win.
Now though, Penn State can’t let that loss to Ohio State linger and the medicine to help fight that off comes in the form of a White Out this week – one that was preplanned (unlike the one held for Penn State’s game with Illinois.)
While Penn State is 9-6 all-time in full stadium White Outs, when opponents not named Ohio State or Michigan have played in the annual game, Penn State’s record improves to 5-2 — or 6-2 if you include that Illinois game earlier this season.
There’s also an undeniable advantage that White Outs provide in terms of the crowd. In general, Beaver Stadium is much louder during White Outs than normal games. It means something for fans. It means something to fans. It’s still a must-see event as secondary market tickets still hover well above $100 as of Wednesday evening.
That’s even in the face that the game will air on Peacock – a streaming service decried by many as another pinch for dollars in today’s college football world. In fairness, it’s also the reason this game is at 8 p.m. as opposed to noon or even 3:30 p.m., which will help Penn State fans juice up (responsibly of course) in cow fields beforehand.
Much has been made about the fact that Penn State isn’t playing an opponent worthy of the White Out title this offseason. Mix in that loss to Ohio State and then of course the hassle of a streaming app, and it’s more to complain about.
But the timing has fortuitously worked out.
Right now Penn State needs this.
Penn State has to get its season back on track in order to deliver on promises made – even as recently as this week — because Penn State still has a bigger picture to play for. It’s at minimum earned so far, and now it has to defend it.
It will get to do that in front of 100,000-plus virtually all dressed in White Out, which should serve as the right medicine at the right time.
vs. 
Time: 8 p.m.
TV: Peacock
Announcers: Paul Burmeister, Colt McCoy, Zora Stephenson
Radio: Penn State Sports Network
Announcers: Steve Jones, Jack Ham, Brian Tripp
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