The White Out will be televised.
I mean of course it will be televised. The media rights holders for the Big Ten are contractually obligated to televise all of the games in which the Big Ten team is the home team – and the other leagues rights holders pick up the remaining games.
It’s just a matter of what time it will be televised.
And that has been the topic du jour – or rather semaine or even mois – of late.
Ever since Brett McMurphy fired off a tweet saying that NBC would prefer – emphasis on prefer – the Penn State-Illinois game to be held in primetime, there has been a rumbling among fans that the matchup will be the White Out game.
I’m not quite sure where that logic came from. There is no rule or law that says the White Out has to be at night. Is it almost always at night? Yes. Since the first one back in 2004, there have been only two played before 4 p.m.
But the White Out – in this new Big Ten TV contract era – will be televised.
It just might not be at the time you – or the head football coach – like.
Earlier this week, James Franklin expressed his frustration to Blue-White Illustrated of how the Ohio State-Michigan game is effectively time protected at noon and that the White Out should get that treatment too.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the White Out. It’s the greatest spectacle in college sports that I’ve been a part of and that’s the beauty of it. You feel a part of it.
But the television rights holders are also a part of it. And right now, they’re the ones that hold the cards that decide when games are going to be played.
Would I prefer Penn State play its White Out at night? Of course. Will I be OK if Penn State doesn’t play its White Out at night? Yes. In fact, I’d be less bothered by that than I would be if the White Out was played against Illinois.
That’s no offense to Bret Bielema’s team. We all remember – or maybe want to forget – what happened the last time Penn State overlooked his Fighting Illini. But putting the White Out against Illinois would feel like more of a money grab for attendance that’s not a sure thing – even though it’s already homecoming – than it would be for a game that Penn State probably needs all of the help it can get – particularly one on a few days before the election in November.
I’m also not sure Illinois has earned the respect for a White Out game treatment in the same way Penn State needs to earn the respect of the conference and its schedulers.
As much as Penn State wants to believe it’s right there with them, Ohio State and Michigan and Ohio State-Michigan pull in the ratings. Very rarely does a game that includes Penn State but doesn’t include Ohio State or Michigan make the top 10 of viewership every season.
And some of that is also because Penn State doesn’t always win its biggest games – when it matters or when they are played at noon. Since 2019, Penn State is just 2-5 in noon games airing on Fox – now the pinnacle of Big Ten scheduling. Those two wins are over Illinois and Wisconsin. I think you can guess which two teams those five losses are against.
Winning at noon – and creating memories of big Big Noon wins – would go a long way to changing Penn State fans’ attitudes toward Fox’s slot as well. (I also think a different announcing duo and some authenticity couldn’t hurt but what do I know?)
Sure, fixing the pregame traffic situation would help how you feel about noon games too but we can’t solve all of our problems in one column.
Penn State fans are boisterous about lots of things but they’re the loudest at the White Out. You’ve seen the moments. You woke up with a sore throat the next day. You know what the crowd noise can do. I’m sure there is a fascinating study to be conducted by the Engineering and Health and Human Services colleges about intoxication levels, game time and crowd noise.
But Big Noon is here to stay. And the White Out is a premier game. Add in four teams living three hours behind Happy Valley residents and those night time slots only become fewer and far between.
The noon slot is where it’s at.
So is winning a big game at that time.
The White Out will be televised. When? We don’t know yet.
But kick time shouldn’t be what matters.
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