Will Penn State have a noon whiteout? Sure! why not?
As the kickoff times for a handful of Penn State football games have officially been mapped out over the past week, the suspicion that Penn State’s home game against Ohio State could be slotted for a Big Noon Kickoff is becoming more a real possibility. The idea of playing the most anticipated home game of the regular season in a dreaded noon timeslot has many fans dreading the announcement that will confirm their worst fears, and it has some wondering how Penn State will utilize its signature whiteout event for the schedule.
Let’s take a quick step back and see what exactly is happening with the schedule and where it may go from here.
For a quick refresher, Penn State now has confirmed kickoff times for games against Purdue, Ohio, Auburn, and Minnesota. Penn State’s home game against the Golden Gophers has been locked in for a primetime kickoff on a network to be determined later. The game against Minnesota is also one week before the home game against Ohio State, and there is a growing expectation FOX may try to nab the Penn State-Ohio State game for its October 29 lineup. And a Big Noon Kickoff is what many fans are fearing for the matchup.
Penn State and Ohio State have played in the Big Noon Kickoff on FOX before, doing so in 2019. So the idea of playing this series in the day’s first broadcast window is not unprecedented, as FOX has already gone that route before. And as long as FOX is dedicated to putting the best games it can in the noon timeslot, expect this game to be an attractive draw for that spot on Oct. 29.
Of course, the Penn State-Ohio State series has largely been a primetime draw the majority of the years over the past decade, and it has generally been a terrific visual when played in Beaver Stadium. The national TV cameras love a primetime whiteout in Beaver Stadium. Unfortunately, the whiteout loses some of its visual brilliance when used during the day. The contrast of the white in the stands just doesn’t hit the same way when the sun is out and shining on the denizens in Happy Valley. Sure, it will still look good, but it won’t have the same visual impact.
So, with a home schedule looking like Minnesota is going to be the big primetime game this fall, it seems as though the fear from some fans is Penn State is going to use its whiteout against Minnesota.
Stop. Just stop.
The whiteout is used for the biggest games on the schedule. It shouldn’t matter what time that game starts. The whiteout has a history of being done for home games against Ohio State or Michigan, and there is no reason to suspect that will be different this season. Even if Ohio State is a noon game, Penn State would be wise to still use the whiteout for that particular game.
It would be a shock if Penn State put the whiteout against Minnesota with Ohio State the next week. Perhaps some other visual gimmick could be used for the Minnesota game, like a stripeout. But as far as the whiteout is concerned, it still should be reserved for the biggest game on the home schedule, and that will remain Ohio State in 2022.
Book it. A whiteout is still going to be used for the Ohio State game, regardless of kickoff time.
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