Penn State Reveals 2026 White Out Game

At long last, the White Out game has been revealed.

With just 11 days until Penn State takes the field for the season-opener, the Nittany Lions announced their annual spectacle will take place on Oct. 10 against USC, which is ranked No. 14 in the preseason AP Top 25. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m., with the matchup featured as NBC’s “Big Ten Saturday Night” game for Week 6.

With other home opponents of Marshall, Buffalo, Wisconsin, Purdue, Minnesota and Rutgers, the Trojans seemed like the obvious choice for the event. It’ll be USC’s first time experiencing the White Out and the first meeting between the two schools in Beaver Stadium since 1994.

Penn State last faced the Trojans in 2024 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, resulting in a 33-30 overtime victory featuring a late-game comeback and walk-off field goal from kicker Ryan Barker. Prior to that, the last meeting was in the 2016 Rose Bowl as nonconference foes, when USC came out on top 52-49 in a memorable outing. Overall, the Trojans hold a narrow 6-5 advantage in the all-time series.

The Nittany Lions hold a 13-9 overall record in previous White Outs dating back to 2004, including wins in six of the last seven. Last year, the streak was snapped at the hands of Oregon via a 30-24 double overtime battle. The 2024 regular season White Out came against another West Coast team in Washington, followed by a semi-official White Out against SMU in the College Football Playoff.

Other announced themes for Penn State home games include the Stripe Out against Marshall and the Homecoming game against Wisconsin. Additionally, the Nittany Lions’ matchup at Michigan will be the Wolverines’ Homecoming, the meeting at Washington will be the “Purple Reign” game and the contest at Maryland will have a “Maryland Forever” theme.