How did Penn State-Washington end up being the 2024 White Out game? FOX, Big Ten played a role, Pat Kraft says
INDIANAPOLIS — Penn State made a “late” announcement earlier this month when it finally revealed the White Out opponent for the 2024 season. The Nittany Lions said July 15 that the annual spectacle will take place Nov. 9 when Washington comes to Beaver Stadium. How was the pick made?
“We don’t land on any of this,” Lions athletic director Pat Kraft said during a news conference here ahead of Penn State’s appearance at Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday. “I think we’d all know what we would choose if we were choosing a White Out game. This year became a little bit more difficult because of the three [television] networks and the [game] draft process…They picked the first slate of games that came out. And then it was going to a 12-day [in-season selection] window. That became a problem for us because of how big the White Out game is. It is the best, I believe, sporting event of the year. It’s remarkable. Our fans show out.
“[Big Ten Commissioner] Tony [Petitti] and [Big Ten Chief Operating Officer] Kerry [Kenny] and the Big Ten kind of helped us. We worked with FOX to not take the Washington game at Noon. We don’t know yet if it will be a 3:30 p.m. or 7 kick. That will go to the traditional window. But, we had to get something out. This is a late White Out [announcement]. We’d typically like to have it sooner. To Tony’s credit, he understands the importance of that game. So, we’re already starting to work on a process to make it a little bit more smooth.”
Penn State AD Pat Kraft talks fans’ White Out reaction
Penn State fans have grown frustrated in recent years that the team’s best home game typically starts at Noon on FOX. That, of course, prohibits it from being a primetime White Out game. And, that seems to be the one thing the athletic department requires for its premiere Beaver Stadium contest. That’s true even if a 3:30 p.m start against the Huskies would start with some sunlight. It would quickly dissipate, leading to the full nighttime experience. And, thus, that’s why Penn State, in consultation with the Big Ten and their television partners, picked the Nov. 2 game for this year’s White Out.
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“I get where the fans are,” Kraft said. “We were just at a retreat and I was telling someone, the Ohio State game [for a White Out], I don’t know how the building still stands. Minnesota and Iowa were great atmospheres. And yes, the opponent would be great. The night piece is critical just from my two years here. I do believe the process will get a little easier now.”
Kraft then inserted a joke about another sore subject for Penn State fans.
“We’re opening the Big Ten season at home, give me that,” he quipped with a grin.
He then finished his answer about the White Out on a more direct note:
“I would be lying to you if I said everyone, James [Franklin], my staff, myself, weren’t frustrated. We were getting questions from everybody. And it’s hard to say I don’t have an answer. But, it is a difficult thing to understand. And the FOX window at Noon is huge. That is a big window, for the network, for the conference.”
