Penn State Coach James Franklin Takes Subtle Jab at Fox on Thursday

The game will be played at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday and air on NBC, which is a relief to Penn State fans and head coach James Franklin, who openly disputed the fact that it could be a Fox Sports Big Noon Saturday game.

Fox decided to make the first game of the day its premier matchup of the week, and it usually comes from the Big Ten. Much to the pleasure of Franklin, though, NBC has the rights to this matchup, which will be played in a prime-time White Out. Fox will air the game between the USC Trojans and Illinois Fighting Illini in the Big Noon Saturday time slot.

"I know FOX tried to argue that a 12 o’clock White Out was the same as a 7 o’clock White Out," Franklin said, according to Basic Blues Nation. "I think people would disagree with that. But, when you're able to get a night game against an opponent like we do, with the black sky and the white crowd and the contrast of the dark uniforms. It's just turned into a special event. And not just in football, really in sports. If you're a sports fan, this is like a bucket list thing that you need to attend."

With the game being played at night in front of a White Out crowd, Penn State will have an edge over Oregon on Saturday. The Ducks have not played on the road against the Nittany Lions since 1964.