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Penn State ‘White Out’ game scheduled for Oct. 10 against Southern Cal

While this will be the first under new head coach Matt Campbell, it will be the 19th year that Beaver Stadium has held the annual theme night.

Penn State takes the field for an NCAA college football game against Oregon amidst a "whiteout" crowd at Beaver Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025.
Penn State takes the field for an NCAA college football game against Oregon amidst a "whiteout" crowd at Beaver Stadium, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025.Read moreBarry Reeger / AP

One of college football’s best atmospheres has an official date.

Led by new head coach Matt Campbell, Penn State will host its iconic “White Out” game against Southern California on Oct. 10, the program announced on Tuesday. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. (NBC10, Peacock).

The tradition started in 2004 with just the Penn State student section and expanded to the entire stadium in 2007. This will be the 19th year with a full “White Out” in Happy Valley.

Last season, the Nittany Lions lost to Oregon during the “White Out” game in overtime, which set off a string of six straight losses and included the firing of longtime head coach James Franklin. Last year’s loss also ended a six-game winning streak in the annual game, dating back to 2019.

» READ MORE: ‘A sense of urgency,’ focal point of the offense, and more takeaways from Penn State football’s media day

This matchup will also mark the first time Penn State will host USC in Beaver Stadium since the Trojans joined the Big Ten ahead of the 2024 season. Their only meeting as conference foes came in 2024, when the Nittany Lions overcame a 14-point halftime deficit to win in overtime, 33-30. Overall, USC holds a 6-5 advantage in all-time meetings between the two programs.

Campbell and Lincoln Riley will face off as head coaches for the first time since 2021, when the former was at Iowa State and the latter was with Oklahoma. Riley’s Sooners held a 4-2 advantage over Campbell’s Cyclones, including a Big 12 championship game win in 2020.

» READ MORE: Ohio State and Oregon are 1-2 in preseason Top 25 football poll; Penn State 18th

Before Penn State hosts USC for the White Out game, it will face Marshall (Sept. 5) at home, travel to Lincoln Financial Field for a noon kickoff against Temple (Sept. 12), and host Buffalo (Sept. 19). Then, Big Ten Conference play begins with the opener against Wisconsin (Sept. 26) before traveling to Northwestern’s new Ryan Field for a Friday night in Evanston, Ill. (Oct. 2).

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