College GameDay is coming back Penn State for another White Out game.
ESPN announced that its flagship college football morning show will air live from Happy Valley ahead of the Nittany Lions’ clash with Michigan on Saturday night.
This will be the third consecutive White Out game to be preluded by ESPN’s College GameDay. The GameDay crew returned to Happy Valley for the first time in eight years ahead of the 2017 White Out game, and it was back in town ahead of last year’s White Out game against Ohio State. Next weekend will be Penn State’s 20th overall appearance on the show and its seventh time hosting College GameDay.
College GameDay set up shop on Old Main Lawn in each of the past two years. At this time, GameDay’s location for this year’s broadcast hasn’t been confirmed.
State College … WE’RE COMING TO YOUR CITY!@UMichFootball 🆚 @PennStateFball
(📠@HomeDepot) pic.twitter.com/5ijjsFqMT7
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 13, 2019
Last year, ESPN spurned another top 10 match-up between No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 8 Stanford in favor of bringing College GameDay to Happy Valley. This year’s White Out, however, is the clear standout among this week’s games. The only other game between squads currently ranked in the AP Top 25 poll in week 8 is between No. 18 Arizona State and No. 15 Utah.
In 2017, then-No. 2 Penn State smashed then-No. 19 Michigan 42-13 under White Out conditions. Saquon Barkley’s 69-yard touchdown on the Nittany Lions’ second offensive play of the game set the tone for what was a dominant performance by James Franklin’s program. Then-No. 4 Ohio State pulled off a 27-26 comeback victory over the ninth-ranked Nittany Lions in last year’s White Out game, which was Penn State’s first home loss in nearly three years.
The pregame show will begin at 9 a.m. and air until noon, but you’ll need to get to the set much earlier in order to secure a prime spot right behind the crew. GameDay always culminates with Lee Corso making his pick for the featured game by whipping out the headgear of who he thinks will win, and he’s picked Penn State prior to each of the past two White Out games.
The 2019 White Out game between Penn State and Michigan will get started at 7:30 p.m. and be broadcast on ABC.
