'White Out Energy'? Yes. A 'Penn State White Out' Vs. Illinois? No

The 2024 Penn State White Out remains scheduled for Nov. 9 vs. Washington. Here's why.

Penn State and Iowa take the field for the 2023 Penn State White Out at Beaver Stadium. / Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

Penn State will host Illinois on Saturday for a prime-time game between top-20 Big Ten teams that might look and sound similar to Penn State's signature annual event. Nittany Lions coach James Franklin has asked fans to wear "White Out [pause] energy," the program's social-media platforms have encouraged the concept and some players are making wardrobe suggestions.

"Maybe there's too much blue in the laundry, maybe you've got a stain on your favorite gray hoodie, maybe just take a peek in the closet," Penn State center Nick Dawkins said this week. "Take a peek in the dresser that you barely open up. You've got something white. Just put it on for the game and show some support. That's all. Just a recommendation, just a suggestion."

Penn State certainly is encouraging fans to stage an unofficial "White Out" on Saturday, when unbeaten and No. 19 Illinois visits for the season's first night game at Beaver Stadium. So if that's the case, why can't the program shift gears and hold the actual 2024 "Penn State White Out," either as a bonus or by rescheduling the original date from Nov. 9 (vs. Washington) to Saturday?

Well, it's not that simple, as Franklin explained Thursday night on the Penn State Coaches Show.

"White Out, dramatic pause, energy," Franklin said. "... That's what we're doing. You're not allowed to have multiple White Outs in one year, so that's how you kind of beat the system."

RELATED: How the 'Penn State White Out' became the greatest show in college sports

The "Penn State White Out," which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, goes beyond filling Beaver Stadium with fans wearing white T-shirts. It's an annual date on the Penn State calendar that requires consideration of fans, sponsors, vendors, media partners, opposing teams and much more. It's a marketing tool. It's a major recruiting weekend, not just for Penn State football but for multiple Nittany Lions teams. It's an occasion that demands planning. Have you tried to order 110,000 pom-poms on short notice?

“The Penn State White Out has become so much more than a football game," Adam Miller, Penn State Deputy Athletic Director for External Affairs and Engagement, said in an interview. "It’s an event. It’s a bucket-list experience for Penn State fans around the country, and people spend a lot of time planning trips around that Penn State White Out. It’s become a very, very special game. It’s created one of the most intimidating atmospheres in the country, and so for us, it’s not something we do every week. We want to continue to make it special."

So Penn State won't preempt the scheduled Nov. 9 White Out game or dilute its impact with a second iteration. But should Penn State fans galvanize to stage their own White Out on Saturday, the athletic department certainly won't discourage it.

"I think it would just continue to amplify how special this community is," Miller said. "And we use that term 'community' purposefully, because it truly is a community."

That Penn State White Out project began in 2004, when the the athletics marketing department turned interns loose on campus with fliers, bullhorns, sandwich boards and anything white they could find to urge students to wear white to the Penn State-Purdue game in October. It worked. Students participated, fans loved the sight and the Penn State White Out found its kickoff.

Twenty years later, more than 1.6 million fans have attended the "Penn State White Out," a trademarked phrase, turning it into one of college football's best-known brands. As a result, fans plan trips to State College specifically for the game. They fly in, which isn't easy. They book out the region's hotels and rental properties. Fans of opposing teams want tickets, too, which generates secondary-market value. For instance, the cheapest seat for Penn State-Washington on StubHub was $159 on Thursday night. For Saturday's game against Illinois, it was $31.

Penn State spent the summer exhausting possibilities for this season's White Out game, negotiating options with the Big Ten and its broadcast partners. Penn State wanted to schedule the game for Ohio State's visit to Beaver Stadium on Nov. 2. But since that game appears destined for FOX's Big Noon broadcast, Penn State shifted gears.

Ultimately, Penn State Athletic Director Patrick Kraft said this summer, the program chose the Nov. 9 game against Washington, and Penn State was assured of at least a 3:30 p.m. kickoff. At the time, Penn State had not announced the prime-time game against Illinois (that became official Sept. 16). The program also couldn't predict that Illinois would be 4-0 and ranked in the AP Top 25.

"We don't land on any game [for the White Out]," Kraft told reporters at Big Ten Football Media Days. "I think you all know what we would choose if we were going to choose a White Out game. This year became a little more difficult because of the three networks [FOX, CBS and NBC} and the 'draft' process."

Ultimately, Miller said, Penn State wants to preserve the event status of the "Penn State White Out," which means reserving it for defined dates. This year, that's Nov. 9 against Washington. And when the date is scheduled, shifting it isn't practical.

"Every game for us takes a lot of planning, but the White Out brings it to another level," Miller said. "There may be some additional sponsorship elements. There are some additional things we do with the students. Honestly, getting that many shakers and pom-poms, it's not something you can turn around on a day's notice. We might joke about it, but that's a big deal."

The good news is, Penn State will host another event date this weekend. It's Homecoming, the unbeaten 1994 team will be honored and the Nittany Lions will wear their "Generations of Greatness" throwback uniforms. And the "Penn State White Out" will get its day in November.

"It’s grown into something so much bigger than a game," Miller said of the Penn State White Out. "It is truly an experience. That’s what we hear from a lot of people, whether they’re Penn State fans or not. They don't say, 'I want to go to a White Out.' They say, 'I want to experience a White Out.' That's an amazing distinction and a credit to all of our fans for building it into what it has become."

Penn State hosts Illinois at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday on NBC.

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