Buzzworthy: How Penn State landed on Washington for its White Out game
From the jump, James Franklin and Penn State AD Pat Kraft made a few things clear about its White Out thinking. The Nittany Lions and their fans, used to hosting Ohio State and Michigan for one of the marquee events in college athletics every season, understood the realities of the new FOX Big Noon landscape.
Likely heading in that direction again when Penn State hosts the Buckeyes on Nov. 2 for what’s already being hyped as one of the biggest games of the 2024 college football slate, the Nittany Lions would have to take a different approach to the White Out.
“I’m a firm believer in the night game. I’ve heard enough,” Kraft told Blue-White Illustrated in late June. “You want your best game. But, there is a point to it. That FOX window is so strong for FOX.
“So look, this is where the finesse of the whole thing comes in. I’m not a very finesse guy. You want that atmosphere… In a perfect world, that’s what you want. But, you’re gonna get a lot of good games now. It’s not just one or two. You can get three, four good games as the schedule starts to emerge down the years.”
A signal of Penn State’s thinking, an outside-the-box approach took shape as the school began working with the Big Ten and its broadcast partners to create a suitable White Out arrangement. At the forefront of that thinking, a Nov. 9 date with Washington was circled as an opportunity to fulfill those needs, but it would demand partnership and cooperation.
Through its advocacy, Penn State got them.
Broadcast partner emerges for Penn State White Out game
Like Kraft, Franklin made clear what Penn State’s thinking was on the matter. Having come to understand fans’ preference for the best opponent on the schedule, at night, the Nittany Lions again wanted to deliver that atmosphere to the best of their ability.
Because of the daylight savings time flip on Nov. 3, 2024, that highly sought night environment of the White Out could be fulfilled in two ways.
Outside of the noon broadcast slot, the Nittany Lions could kick against the Huskies in the 3:30 p.m. CBS timeframe and still be shrouded in darkness at Beaver Stadium by the end of the first quarter, with sunset estimated to be 4:58 p.m. in State College, Pa., on Nov. 9. Needing a commitment from the Big Ten that the game wouldn’t be relegated to Peacock’s 7:30 p.m. kick, the streaming-only option was one Penn State sought to avoid.
“This year has been a little unique, and we continue to work with the conference. I think Tony has done a really good job. But, I also don’t think we have been advocating for a lot of things for Penn State. And I just don’t have patience for that,” said Kraft. “The Big Ten needs Penn State. And I think they understand. But we’ve can’t just sit back and expect certain outcomes. You have to be aggressive. You have to explain and be positive. It’s not about being a jerk.
“You have three networks choosing. This year is a very unique year in that. So there is an actual draft that goes that goes on. So we’re all trying to learn and go through that. But, I’ve had many calls about the White Out.”
Penn State advocacy pays off
This summer, those calls paid dividends. Though not yet announced, through the cooperation of the Big Ten league offices and CBS, Penn State has come to understand that the game will be selected for a national audience in either the 3:30 p.m. slot, or flexed to 7 p.m. if necessary.
Either way, the White Out is expected to be on CBS in front of a national audience.
A solution that found the best path forward given FOX’s firm hold on the noon time slot for the Big Ten’s best games, it pits the Nittany Lions and last year’s runner-up under the lights at Beaver Stadium in front of a national audience.
“The White Out is the greatest college event, period. It’s not just football,” said Kraft. “But, I need to continue to remind people not around us how great that event is. Because when they come, they’re like, whoa, And I think that’s just my job is to continue to advocate for us. This one is just a unique situation because it’s new.”
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The post Buzzworthy: How Penn State landed on Washington for its White Out game appeared first on On3.
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