Penn State calling for a White Out in home playoff game vs. SMU

It should come as no surprise, but White Out mode has officially been activated for Penn State’s home playoff game.

The Nittany Lions’ social media accounts announced Sunday that Beaver Stadium will host a White Out on Dec. 21 against SMU. The sixth-seeded Lions will host the 11th-seeded Mustangs at noon on TNT and MAX.

The first playoff game (and probably any playoff game) held on Penn State’s campus made sense as a White Out, but it’s extra interesting, as it’s the first time a White Out will be held at a noon kickoff since 2015, a loss to Michigan.

It will be the third White Out of the season, an extremely unique circumstance for Penn State. The official event was on Nov. 9 against Washington, a 35-6 blowout. But coach James Franklin also lobbied for an unofficial White Out against Illinois on Sept. 28 because the Fighting Illini were ranked. A 21-7 Penn State win was well-attended and resembled a normal White Out.

Penn State didn’t actually label Illinois as a second White Out, with some potential behind-the-scenes issues linked to having two in one season. Asked about why the playoff game could be an official White Out on Sunday, Franklin said he wasn’t personally sure of the answer.

“I said it earlier in the season that it would be cool if we get in a playoff game, that it would be a White Out. And then about an hour ago, I saw on social media that, I guess the decision had been made and it’s going to be,” Franklin said Sunday afternoon. “Wasn’t a whole lot of conversations besides that. I mentioned it as a possibility. Didn’t have any follow-up conversations. We were focused on finishing the season the right way.”

This home playoff White Out, though, is not a normal home game. Penn State won’t control tickets to get recruits on campus for the weekend, while the College Football Playoff will control tickets for the game as a whole. All revenue from tickets will return to the CFP.

“Although it is a home game for us, we don’t gain any advantages that way. If recruits want to come to the game, they’re welcome to come to the game, but they’re going to have to buy their own tickets and those types of things,” Franklin said. “There are advantages, but not as much of an advantage from a recruiting perspective as people may think, other than really good players are still able to watch us continue to play this season.”

Penn State will still get the on-field advantage of having a 100,000-plus-person crowd screaming at full throat. Perhaps SMU, traveling north from Dallas, will be affected by cold temperatures, too. The way-too-early forecast for Dec. 21 on Accuweather has State College experiencing a high temperature of 39 degrees.

“I want to make sure that we’re selling big enough white jackets and big enough white parkas to cover the hunting gear,” Franklin joked, “so that everybody’s got the best chance to follow the White Out dress code.”