STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- To the surprise of no one, the No. 3 Nittany Lions' first game back after the bye week will officially include a 7:30 p.m. start time and will air on ABC, the Big Ten announced Monday.
Penn State plays Michigan on Oct. 21 and the Lions' annual White Out game is usually quite the spectacle, and now the question becomes whether or not ESPN's College GameDay will be in attendance. The White Out clash is among the top college games that Saturday and GameDay hasn’t been to Happy Valley since 2009, when the Lions lost to Iowa in the rain. GameDay was in Columbus for the 2010 PSU-OSU game and in Indianapolis last December for the Big Ten title game.
GameDay is headed to James Madison this week for the Dukes’ game against Villanova and with the Lions’ game the following week on the road against Ohio State set for a 3:30 p.m. kick thanks to Fox owning the rights to the game and the World Series, this is likely the best chance to try and promote the 6-0 Lions.
Penn State’s return to national prominence has already meant more night games than usual as the Lions played Georgia State at night and also played Iowa under the lights at Kinnick Stadium. The Lions’ start time for the Michgain game comes on the same day James Franklin asked fans via Twitter to make sure they show up and push the stadium’s 107,000-seat capacity to 109,000 for the Lions’ first game back after the bye.
We need Beaver Stadium rocking like never before #109kStrong, the most difficult environment in all of college football! #WeAre
— James Franklin (@coachjfranklin) October 9, 2017