When Is the Penn State White Out? 'I Don't Even Completely Know,' James Franklin Says

Penn State continues to lobby for the right time, and opponent, to its marquee annual football game.

A pre-game view of the Penn State White Out against the Auburn Tigers in 2021 at Beaver Stadium. / Dan Rainville via Imagn Content

STATE COLLEGE | Penn State coach James Franklin met with Athletic Director Pat Kraft on Thursday, and the pending Penn State White Out was a topic. Penn State still isn't sure when the 2024 White Out will be scheduled, who the opponent will be or what time the game will kick off?

Could the Penn State White Out be Sept. 28 against Illinois? Oct. 5 against UCLA? Nov. 2 against Ohio State? Or maybe even Nov. 9 against Washington? Franklin has an idea but also didn't want to tempt fate by discussing the options.

"I don't even completely know," Franklin said at a media availability before the Penn State Lift For Life event. "I've got a pretty good idea where I think it’s trending but I don’t know that yet. And the worst thing I can do is say one thing to [the media] and then it changes. Or even by saying it to you guys it impacts the chance of that happening by pissing some people off. I don’t want to do that."

The Penn State White Out is among the marquee dates on the annual Big Ten football schedule but still hasn't been announced for the 2024 season. The issue is television — or, more specifically, FOX's Big Noon Kickoff. The network has turned its noon time slot into its top brand that now features the Big Ten's biggest weekly games. But as a result, Penn State hasn't hosted Ohio State or Michigan for the White Out since 2019 (the 2020 game against the Buckeyes notwithstanding).

Penn State’s James Franklin on the pending White Out time/date/opponent: “I don’t even know completely.” pic.twitter.com/plDTRWxpKT

— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) June 13, 2024

Though Franklin certainly hinted Thursday that he would love to see the Nov. 2 game against Ohio State as the White Out, that option requires a decision. If Penn State-Ohio State kicks off at noon, would Penn State accept playing its biggest branded home game of the season during the day? Or would it shift the White Out to another home game (Penn State-Illinois is a potential prime-time start, for instance) to preserve the evening atmosphere?

"I’m probably a lot like the fans in terms of, I want it all," Franklin said. "And very few times in life do you get it all. You'd like the opponent and the time of day, for sure. But again, that's challenging. The time-of-day thing is what’s really become more difficult because of when primetime games now are chosen. ... Now, based on the different TV networks, it could be at 12, 7, or 3:30,. You don’t know based on what they think is going to draw the most eyes. I’m like the fans. I’d like it all but don’t know that yet."

RELATED: Does the Penn State White Out have to be a night game?

Penn State has hosted 15 full-stadium White Out games at Beaver Stadium since 2007, when Notre Dame visited for the first. Since then, just one White Out game has kicked off earlier than 3:30 p.m. That was Michigan's 2015 visit, which was played Nov. 21. The game was Penn State only full-stadium White Out to kick off at noon and also the latest White Out played in a season. In fact, that was Penn State's last home game of the 2015 season.

Penn State certainly would like to schedule the 2024 White Out for Ohio State's visit, even if the game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET. However, the negotiating continues.

"If we want to provide the opponent and experience and the time of day that our fan base wants and expects, there’s a lot of pushing and pulling and compromising and working with the TV partners to try to find a win-win for everybody," Franklin said. "... The challenge with that, is we’ve got pressure across the campus as well because all the other [home-game] themes kind of have to wait for this one. And then all those other themes impact a bunch of different departments and a bunch of different places on campus. Fans want to know. The ticket office wants to know. Really across campus everything, from ROTC on down, is impacted."

Penn State opens the 2024 season Aug. 31 at West Virginia. The game is scheduled for a noon kickoff on FOX.

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich.