Penn State’s primetime White Out finally has a date, and it lands in the middle of October the way plenty of people expected.
The Nittany Lions will host USC on Oct. 10 at Beaver Stadium, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. on NBC. It will be the 19th full-stadium White Out for Penn State, which has gone 11-7 in those games since 2007.
The matchup also brings a familiar opponent back to State College in a setting that has not happened in a long time. USC has not played at Beaver Stadium since 1994, a season that ended with Penn State unbeaten. The teams met once already since the Trojans entered the Big Ten two years ago, with Penn State surviving an overtime shootout, 33-30, in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 2024.
USC holds the edge in the series, 6-5 overall, and that includes three wins in the Rose Bowl.
The White Out will come a few weeks into the Matt Campbell era, with Penn State opening the season Sept. 5 against Marshall in a Beaver Stadium Stripe Out. That game is set for 3:30 p.m. on FS1. Penn State has been a machine in season openers, posting a 115-22-2 all-time record.
The Lions enter the year at No. 17 in the US LBM Coaches Poll, while USC is ranked No. 14.
Penn State’s nonconference schedule also includes Buffalo at home on Sept. 19 and a trip to Temple on Sept. 12 at Lincoln Financial Field. The opener against Marshall is the first step in a stretch that gives Campbell his first look at Beaver Stadium, then sends the Lions into a road game in Philadelphia.
A few Big Ten start times remain up in the air, but one is locked in: Penn State’s Friday night trip to Northwestern on Oct. 2 will kick off at 8 p.m. on FOX and will open the Wildcats’ new stadium.
The rest of Penn State’s theme games are already on the calendar. Buffalo on Sept. 19 is the THON benefit game.
Wisconsin on Sept. 26 is Homecoming and Helmet Stripe. Purdue on Oct. 31 is All-U Day.
Minnesota on Nov. 14 is Military Appreciation. Rutgers on Nov. 21 is Senior Day.
Beaver Stadium’s renovations should also be at a point by mid-October where the building is expected to hold a record 109,000-plus official capacity, according to athletic director Pat Kraft. Additional bleacher seating is expected to be ready in the new upper deck on the west side.
Penn State’s 2026 schedule now has its headline moment circled: a White Out under the lights, against USC, with the stadium expected to be at full force.
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