Nobody on College GameDay Picked Penn State White Out Game

Originally posted on Nittany Sports Now | By Joe Smeltzer | Last updated Nov 9, 2024 5:20 PM ET

Penn State fans were already annoyed that the team’s annual White Out spectacle was on Peacock and not network television and plenty will be further annoyed that ESPN College GameDay didn’t bother to pick the matchup against Washington, which marks this year’s White Out.

Once upon a time, the White Out was Penn State football’s biggest game of the year, not just because of the spectacle but because of the opponent.

From 2010-2019, the opponent was one of Alabama (2011), Michigan (2013, ‘15, ‘17 and ‘19) or Ohio State (2012, ‘14, ‘16 or ‘18) every year.

In 2021, Penn State played a prominent SEC program for its White Out game, marking the first time Auburn had visited Beaver Stadium.

But Penn State’s last three opponents— Minnesota, Iowa and now Washington— haven’t generated the same amount of hype.

PEACOCK?!?

Penn State football

The Penn State White Out use to frequently be on ABC, with Kirk Herbstriet doing color and either Brent Musburger or Chris Fowler on play by play. Well, the Big Ten is no longer aligned with ABC and ESPN but rather CBS, Fox and NBC. This has led to Penn State playing its biggest games— such as last week’s loss to Ohio State— being played not under the lights, but… at noon. Penn State fans didn’t even know whether the Washington game would be at night until last Saturday. Before that, it was between 3:30 and 8.

WHO WOULD THE GAMEDAY GUYS HAVE PICKED

BLOOMINGTON, IN – OCTOBER 26: ESPN College GameDay host Rece Davis on set prior to a college football game between the Washington Huskies and Indiana Hoosiers on October 26, 2024 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire)

Had the GameDay guys have picked Penn State-Washington, it probably would have been Penn State across the board. Penn State is a 12.5-point favorite over Washington and hasn’t lost a regular season game as a favorite since 2021.

Penn State and Washington are scheduled to kickoff at 8 on Peacock.

This article first appeared on Nittany Sports Now and was syndicated with permission.

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