What is Penn State's 'White Out'? Nittany Lions' greatest show in college football explored

The next edition of the famed Penn State 'White Out' game is scheduled for September 23, when the Nittany Lions take on Iowa. Once again, it will be the talk of the college football world, and for good reason. White Out games are among the most-recognizable traditions in the sport – bar none.

So, what is Penn State’s White Out, exactly? Where did it come from, how did it get started, and how long has it been a thing? And are the Nittany Lions hard to beat during a White Out game? We’re going to answer all of those questions here, so sit down and strap in.

What is Penn State’s record in White Outs?

As of the 2023 season, the Nittany Lions are 10-8 in White Outs. It’s not as impressive in terms of the numbers, though one should also note that Penn State has won the last three since 2019 (via Sporting News).

Penn State’s all-time White Out record

The team is currently 6-7 in White Outs against ranked opponents, though they have won four of the last five contests of this type. Current head coach James Franklin is 5-3 in White Outs, including wins in five of the last six.

What is Penn State's 'White Out'? A brief history

The Penn State White Out tradition began relatively recently in 2004, according to ABC27. It started as a way to drum up more interest in the program. That’s because the school only had two winning seasons from 2000 to 2005, which caused a massive dip in the football program’s overall popularity.

This dip in popularity, as per the original ABC27 report, allegedly got so bad that Penn State’s stadium was reported to be “extremely quiet.” Guido D’Elia, the school’s director of branding and communications, got so concerned by this claim that he helped start the now-iconic college football tradition.

Even if the first White Out game was played in 2004, the tradition itself traces its roots back to 2002. A game against Nebraska got Penn State fans worried that Huskers fans would "drown" Beaver Stadium with a sea of red -- something they'd done to Notre Dame Stadium two years prior.

D'Elia picked this up eventually. He then started by asking Penn State students to wear white to an upcoming game versus Purdue in 2004. It resulted into 20,000 students going to Beaver Stadium wearing all white, which led to the campaign being called a success even if the Nittany Lions lost that game.

Since then, Penn State has played a White Out game at home every single season.

Penn State's 3 most memorable White Out games

Out of all 18 White Out games so far, several of them stand out due to the stakes, emotional impact, and overall success of the game in general.

Here are some of them, as per Centre History:

• Versus Ohio State, 2005: The Penn State vs. Ohio State rivalry is not as big as the biggest college football rivalries ever, but that 2005 game remains among the most memorable. The Nittany Lions beat the Buckeyes 17-10, with Sports Illustrated starting to call Penn State’s home games as “The Greatest Show in College Sports.”
• Versus Michigan, 2013: The Nittany Lions beat the Michigan Wolverines 43-40 in four OTs during that game. It was also a year when the team was under NCAA sanctions and was banned from bowl games.
• Versus Ohio State, 2016: Another win over Ohio State, which was then-coached by Urban Meyer, prompted the latter to remark that White Out was worth, at least, 10 points. This was a comeback game, too, with the Buckeyes leading big 21-7 before the Nittany Lions scored 17 unanswered points.