Penn State (3-0) has a huge edge in Saturday night’s battle of Big Ten unbeatens between James Franklin’s Nittany Lions and the Oregon Ducks (4-0). Dan Lanning’s team must deal with a “White Out” crowd in prime time at Beaver Stadium. Expect those 100K PSU fans to be roaring when the Oregon offense has the ball. The question is who’s afraid of whom? Both teams remain undefeated; it is only a matter of time before we see which team experiences its first defeat.

Dan Lanning isn’t downplaying what his Ducks are walking into, but he’s also not spooked. As Oregon insider Zachary Neel noted, the coach has kept his comments sharp and steady. “We will do everything we can to be prepared for that environment,” Lanning said when asked directly about the White Out. This is the same stadium that famously forced Michigan into burning a timeout before its very first play in 2019. And the question remains: will Beaver Stadium’s wave of white create déjà vu for Oregon’s offense?

During Big Ten Media Days back in July, Oregon already knew what was coming—a primetime trip into the heart of Beaver Stadium under the lights. Reporters naturally brought up the infamous noise, but the Ducks didn’t bite on the intimidation angle.

Tight end Kenyon Sadiq gave a nod to the lore, saying, “I think everyone knows the clip of Michigan calling the timeout on the first drive.” But head coach Dan Lanning quickly shifted the conversation where it really mattered.

“I think the biggest challenge is the (Penn State) team, right?” he said. Lanning wasn’t buying into the crowd hype alone. “There are some great players on that team. Coach Franklin’s teams are always going to be well-coached. They always present some tough schematic challenges.” In the end, the crowd may set the stage, but it’s the chess match on the field that will decide if Oregon can rise to the moment.

Franklin Turns Up the Volume as White Out Prepares for Oregon

Penn State-Oregon marks just the second time in White Out history that both teams are ranked in the AP top 10, the first dating back to 2018. The hype has James Franklin doing what he does best—turning up the volume before the game even begins. During his Monday press conference, the PSU coach leaned directly into the mystique. “We need to be on our feet, screaming a collective battle cry in the stadium,” Franklin said. He wasn’t just asking fans to be loud—he was commanding it. And why wouldn’t he? The program is aiming to break the Beaver Stadium single-game attendance record of 111,030, set last fall against Ohio State.

He doubled down, reminding everyone that Penn State’s White Out isn’t just a game, it’s a spectacle. “Obviously, we need this place rocking,” Franklin said. “Need to have a distinct home-field advantage. We always do, but I’m expecting this to be an environment like no one has ever seen.”

For Franklin, it’s calculated. He knows Oregon doesn’t have White Out experience to lean on. The Ducks haven’t set foot in Beaver Stadium since 1964, a lifetime ago in college football years. Most of Lanning’s roster has never seen a White Out live, let alone tried to operate in one. The one Oregon staffer who has? Joe Lorig, their special teams coordinator, spent three seasons under Franklin in Happy Valley from 2019–21. He can tell them firsthand what 100,000 people screaming in unison can do to a visiting team’s nerves. That’s the environment Franklin is trying to recreate and maybe amplify with Oregon rolling into town at 4–0.