Penn State Football: Could Stars Be Aligning for White Out vs. Ohio State?

Starting in 2004, Penn State began the tradition of urging a student section whiteout to increase energy and crowd noise at Beaver Stadium.

An Intimidating Atmosphere Like No Other

Since 2007 (excluding the 2020 COVID season), Penn State has hosted a full stadium whiteout crowd once each season. The annual spectacle has grown in popularity over the years and has drawn rave reviews across the sports world since its inception.

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit said, “it’s as good as there is, not only in college football, but in sports.”

Meanwhile, Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer called it “the most difficult place [he’s] ever coached in [his] career” noting that the Whiteout is worth a “10-point” differential.

Ohio State a Frequent White Out Foe

Penn State Football holds an 11-8 record in whiteout games since 2004, winning each of the last four whiteout games since 2019. The most recent Nittany Lions loss in a whiteout came in a heartbreaking 1-point loss to Ohio State in 2018.

Despite a 2-3 record in whiteouts against Ohio State, Penn State’s past two home wins against Ohio State have both come during a whiteout (2005, 2016).

While often reserved for the biggest game of the season, Penn State’s schedule has forced the Nittany Lions into hard choices in the past few years.

Since the inception of Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” some of Penn State’s biggest games against Ohio State and Michigan yearly (which used to be the annual whiteout) have been moved to the noon TV slot.

Since Penn State has reserved the whiteout for night games, these historic matchups have been passed over for the annual spectacle. However, in 2024, the cards may be falling into place for a marque opponent to return to the whiteout stage.

Will Penn State Football vs. Ohio State Return to White Out Conditions in 2024?

In 2024, NBC, CBS, and Fox will host Big Ten triple headers on Saturdays, with Fox getting the noon slot, CBS in the 3:30 slot, and NBC with the primetime 7:30 slot.

Penn State’s preference, from recent years, would be to host the annual whiteout in the NBC 7:30 slot again in 2024. Under the new media deal in the expanded Big Ten, Fox gets the right to first selection of games this fall.

On Monday, Fox announced three Big Noon matchups for 2024, Texas at Michigan (September 7), Alabama at Wisconsin (September 14), and Michigan at Ohio State (November 30).

If this announcement is indeed Fox’s first selection of games, Penn State’s November 2 matchup with Ohio State is still in play for NBC.

On November 2, Penn State and Ohio State will be competing with Oregon at Michigan and Washington at USC for NBC’s primetime slot.

So, while it is not close to being a done deal, Penn State may have passed the first round of potential roadblocks to the whiteout returning to the Penn State Ohio State rivalry.

If the cards can all fall into place, the return of the whiteout against Ohio State could come at the perfect time for Penn State.

Penn State Football has not beaten Ohio State since 2016, and the annual whiteout crowd could help Penn State’s chances to knock off the likely once again top-ranked Buckeyes this fall.