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Penn State set for primetime clash against Oregon

Mug-Shot 4x4by: Ryan Snyder05/29/25RyanSnyderOn3
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Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen (13) dives for the pylon past Oregon Ducks defensive back Kobe Savage (5) during the second quarter in the 2024 Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. (Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images)

Penn State kicks off its 2025 season in just over 90 days when Nevada comes to Beaver Stadium on Aug. 30. In addition to the Wolfpack, Penn State’s nonconference schedule shouldn’t give them many issues, with home games against FIU and Villanova set for Sept. 6, and Sept. 13, respectively.

The Nittany Lions then have a bye week ahead of what’s unquestionably their biggest home game of the 2025 season, as Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks will travel to State College for the first time in over 60 years. We now know when that game is set to begin, as the Big Ten announced Thursday that it plans to broadcast last year’s rematch of the Big Ten Championship game at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

That should also all but guarantee that the Ducks end up being this year’s White Out game.

UPDATED: Penn State has confirmed Oregon will be this year’s White Out game

Last year, Penn State didn’t announce the themes for its 2024 season until early July. A big reason for that was because they knew the Ohio State game would be at Noon, leaving the former College Football Playoff runner-ups, Washington, as the next best opponent as of preseason.

“I think we all know what we would choose if we were choosing a White Out game,” said Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft during Big Ten Media Days last July. “This year became a little bit more difficult because of the three [television] networks and the [game] draft process…They picked the first slate of games that came out. And then it was going to a 12-day [in-season selection] window. That became a problem for us because of how big the White Out game is. It is the best, I believe, sporting event of the year. It’s remarkable. Our fans show out.

“[Big Ten Commissioner] Tony [Petitti] and [Big Ten Chief Operating Officer] Kerry [Kenny] and the Big Ten kind of helped us. We worked with FOX to not take the Washington game at Noon. We don’t know yet if it will be a 3:30 p.m. or 7 kick. That will go to the traditional window. But, we had to get something out. This is a late White Out [announcement]. We’d typically like to have it sooner. To Tony’s credit, he understands the importance of that game. So, we’re already starting to work on a process to make it a little bit more smooth.”

While that selection won’t always be as easy as it is this year, Penn State should be able to announce its game themes much sooner following this announcement.

As for the Ducks, Lanning’s team lost multiple key contributors from last year’s team, including quarterback Dillon Gabriel. Oregon had 10 players selected in last month’s NFL Draft, including two first-round selections – DT Derrick Harmon and OL Josh Conerly Jr. Of those 10 selections, six of them came in the first 100 picks.

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