It’s official: Illinois is Homecoming
- Thread starter The Spin Meister
- Start date
My guess is the white out will be UCLA. Marketing wouldn’t waste an opportunity by combining the two biggest event on the same game.
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Isn't it legally called White House? Or did that change again.
I'm thinking UCLA is the white out now. I doubt that they would make homecoming the white out.
When the NLC first officially created it, whatever year that was, they called it White House. I think the term was owned at the time by a hockey team... or they felt it was.
Anyway, I haven't seen a physical ticket since around then with White on it, so was curious
I’m confused. We’ve known that Illinois would be Homecoming for months now.
Seems like it was announced in Feb: https://www.psu.edu/news/campus-life/story/penn-state-homecoming-2024-dates-announced/
Seems like it was announced in Feb: https://www.psu.edu/news/campus-life/story/penn-state-homecoming-2024-dates-announced/
While not the most ideal opponent, UCLA is an acceptable White Out opponent.
Hhmmnnnn……strange it isn’t listed as such on the GOPSUSPORTS website. With that much advance notice seems our crack AD Dept would have it posted.
When you say 'we' do you mean people who do research or the message board experts we have here?
LdN
WO with Minnesota in 22 was homecoming. Issue with UCLA is that they play the following weekend and need to stay two nights in Pa. Plus I’m hearing they may very well be staying in HBG because their jet can’t land in the HV so a WO would have them returning to LA at like 8am, PST. They have a brutal September schedule opening in Hawaii and playing LSU two weeks before PSU.
The game, WO or not, would most likely be a 3:30/4:00 or a 7:30/8:00 kickoff. Having it at noon means it would air at 9:00 AM on the West Coast. Networks would want later to maximize ratings.
A 4:00 KO in Oct for a WO means it would end in the dark. Also allows time for people to arrive and tailgate, students to actually get out of bed and show up🤷🏻♀️
True on MN. But MN was a good team having gone 9-4 the year before and beating WVU in their bowl game. They ended up 9-4 in 22 including a Pinstripe Bowl win. They were 5-1 coming in having just lost to UM and it was a night game.
But you make good point that it was both homecoming and whiteout. The WO could still be Illinois but I'd be surprised (edit). it is homecoming, and it is against an opponent that doesn't excite anybody.
Edit: I guess to summarize, having ILL be both homecoming and whiteout would be stupid. But we've seen groupthink before and making stupid decisions doesn't seem to be rare anymore. A lot is dictated by TV people.
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Game was already announced as either late afternoon or night. Seems the old B2G rule about all homecoming games being noon games is history. Makes sense with four West Coast teams in the league as any game at noon in the East time zone would air at 9:00 AM on the west coast.
That was never a rule. The rule is that all Homecoming games would have their start times announced before the season which is still the case. There were always some cases that were given flex times (two different time windows) and a lot of Big Ten Homecoming games were announced that way this year.
The White Out should be Ohio State and Kraft and the President should be fighting for it.
I’m not even sure what statements like this are supposed to mean. What would stop PSU/Kraft from designating Ohio State as the Whiteout game? They can do so right now if they want
TV Networks and the B1G. while they may or may not have any direct influence (may or may not be contractual commitments) they have an indirect influence. A network can come back and say "hey, we've got the X game and we want that to be a 3:30 whiteout and we'll give it a national audience. If not, remember we have a multi-year contract, we won't televise the WVU or UCLA games nationally. So while you think you may lose an audience of a couple hundred thousand for the whiteout, you'll actually lose 500,000 for the season."
I am just making all that up, of course. But CJF said that they are honing in on the white-out game due to a lot of competing interests in the date and time. Again, this is a weird year because we have two away games and a bye in October which is the typical whiteout month.
The bottom line is what appears to be easy and trivial is probably much more complex when trying to keep the partners happy.
UCLA is not an NBC night game, Illinois is. That makes me think Illinois will be the White Out game.
It doesn't matter to me between the two. We all know the White Out should be Ohio State on 11/2 but the WO vs Ohio State at home will never happen in any year (barring a very down year by either school) as long as Fox is the lead TV partner.
It doesn't matter to me between the two. We all know the White Out should be Ohio State on 11/2 but the WO vs Ohio State at home will never happen in any year (barring a very down year by either school) as long as Fox is the lead TV partner.
I don’t know the rule book but we a huge number of consecutive homecomings at noon. And when watching other teams seems theirs were also always at noon.
And many people referenced it as a rule for years. It may have been an unwritten rule like Suckeyes and Cheaters are always last game of year and at noon. Probably not it any rule book but everyone knows it’s there.
This is not true. Penn State has the right to fight for and designate the Ohio State game as protected. This is something the president and athletic director should be fighting for and not backing down on, right up until August.
I don't think Penn State has any control over Fox picking one of our home games as a Big Noon showcase game which the OSU game will be. Fox is just not going to give up their paid right to select that game because we want it at night as a White Out so therefore here you go NBC or CBS or whatever competing media network. I wish Penn State had more control but if we did then that 2022 Ohio State game would have been the White Out.
Neither game has a set time or network yet. The “NBC schedule” that was reported is just potential and not set. A similar leak last year had a number of the games not be on NBC at night (some were on Peacock, some other networks).
FOX doesn’t have the first choice every week, only some weeks. As it turns out, FOX is choosing first on 11/2 (they “traded down” to get that week) but could very well take Oregon/Michigan instead of tOSU/PSU. the broadcast network and time for tOSU/PSU is very much up in the air
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A lot of Homecoming games are at noon because they are weaker games.
But there was absolutely no rule that they were at that time and PSU has had a number at different time.
The specific “rule” that the Big Ten has negotiated is that Homecoming game times are to be announced before the season. However the networks can still potentially announce multiple possible windows which happened to a number of the games this season.
I think it is unlikely Fox chooses Michigan/Oregon over our game. Even if Oregon beats OSU and is ranked higher I still don't see it. Maybe if both are undefeated and OSU has the one loss and say (gulp) we have two losses or even three at that point then yeah.
Well that would be great and we should all cheer for Oregon over OHowIHate which I'm guessing we all were going to do anyway. Penn State vs Ohio State is a big draw and rivalry. If we are undefeated and even if OSU has one loss it will be a top ten matchup and probably OSU top 5. That seems hard for Fox to pass up but if both Oregon and Michigan are undefeated then maybe we catch a break and Fox chooses that one. Although not sure they will want a west coast team playing at noon EST but then again it is Michigan who would benefit and we all know they get every freaking break known to man.
Which game they pick will be driven by the records and rankings of the potential teams. Oregon/Michigan has a novelty factor that could easily lead to it being chosen especially if both teams are playing well.
Also keep in mind that FOX will only get the west coast teams at noon when they are on the road so it has some incentive to grab those teams when it has a chance. It is not like they will feature Oregon that often (and the Ducks are expected to be the strongest of the incoming PAC teams)
You know this means we have to pull for Michigan to be having a good season. Their 3 biggest games prior to the Ducks are Texas at home on 9/7; USC at home on 9/21; Washington on the road 10/5. They could go 0-3 in those games. I doubt that but also think it is doubtful they are undefeated.
If us and OSU are undefeated and either Mich or Oregon or both have losses (since Oregon plays OSU on 10/12) then I absolutely think Fox picks our game.
If we are undefeated, OSU has a loss to Oregon; Oregon undefeated Michigan with a loss then that is a toss up as to what game they choose. Could be they choose Mich/Oregon game to bring in the west coast.
PSU will have one loss, at least, when they host the unbeaten Bucks in November. Michigan will have a down year compared to their last two. Not an Oregon believer. Buckeyes head and shoulders above everyone one else is n the conference. Could have 15 guys drafted in April. The last two with that many won the natty… Georgia and Michigan.
Don't disagree but tOSU is a November game and getting everyone to dress in white when temps are on the chilly side makes things slightly problematic. White Out games are better played in warm/hot weather when all fans can wear something simple and cost effective like a white tee shirt.
Yes exactly. It is USC on 10/12 and at Wisky at night on 10/26. Those are the possible candidates for losses. Could we lose one or even both? Yeah but I think we can/should win both and we will be favored in both. Franklin needs to step up to the challenge and deliver a road win vs USC and just beat down a less talented Wisky to start reversing this God awful narrative that he sucks in big games.
It is very possible we are both undefeated heading into the 11/2 game. Biggest drawback to that is no White Out.
Back to the debate on what game is the White Out. Here's the tricky part of all this. Timing. When does Fox have to decide? When do we want to announce the White Out game? When do we have to announce the White Out game given the lack of Oct home games after UCLA?
I think our White Out announcement timeline is faster than when Fox will announce. Fox won't want to announce their Big Noon game for 11/2 until maybe a couple weeks before? Not sure what timeline they are obligated to follow but they certainly will want to see the results of the 10/12 games (PSU vs USC and OSU vs Oregon) before committing to the Big Noon game on 11/2.. Penn State has to be talking to Fox even now about options. I would hope Kraft is really pushing for and lobbying for the Ohio State game to be the White Out. Franklin too for that matter.
If we don't have the White Out on 9/28 vs Illinois or 10/5 versus UCLA then it has to be OSU (I guess maybe Washington, see below). Problem is I don't think PSU can wait until after those two game dates pass and "hope" Fox chooses Michigan vs Oregon as their Big Noon game so OSU can be the White Out. Because if they do decide to wait and pass on Illinois and UCLA as the White Out then there is a significant risk that OSU could still be a Big Noon game then there is no game left for the White Out. Unless we are willing to make the Washington game on 11/9 the White Out which seems late and unrealistic but maybe that is a scenario.
95% UCLA= WO. A) it’s Oct. B) New team to intimidate C) New fan base to show off too D) Most likely late afternoon/night game so West Coast can watch at reasonable time.
But even if UCLA is the WO the Buckeye game will still be crazy, especially if both are undefeated and/top five rated. Fans realize how much affect they can have on a game and will act as if it is a WO. And what color they wear won’t matter if it’s a noon game.
If the offense and Allar click both OSU and Washington games will be epic. If still undefeated the fans will sense a playoff run and will go berserk!
If you don't beat Ohio St you don't make the playoffs. The White out gives you a better chance to beat them. Fight for it.
...and a great way for the B1G/media to introduce the West Coast to the white-out extravaganza. yes, many already know, but it is a numbers game. It would be a marketing missed opportunity of epic proportions to do Illinois. Less so versus tOSU but still a miss.
My guess has been Whiteout for UCLA. Here is my guess as to what will be the "themes" for the season:
Bowling Green: Helmet Stripe
Kent St: Spirit Day/THON
Illinois: Homecoming/Generations of Greatness
UCLA: Whiteout
Ohio State: Stripe Out
Washington: Military Appreciation
Maryland: Senior Day
