- The highly anticipated White Out game against Oregon is scheduled for Sept. 27 at 7:30 p.m. on NBC.
- Homecoming against Northwestern is set for Oct. 11, with the time and network to be determined.
- The Nittany Lions, expected to be a top-five team, aim for their first national championship appearance since 1986.
Penn State football fans finally know when the first four games of the upcoming 2025 season − possibly the most highly-anticipated one yet under coach James Franklin − will be played and how to watch them.
That includes the kind of White Out they always wanted.
The expected preseason top-five Nittany Lions also got some hints on their October homecoming game, as well.
Big Ten officials announced starting times and network schedules for the first three weeks of the upcoming football season on Thursday − and other select games, including Penn State's titanic White Out match-up with Oregon.
The Lions will begin their season with consecutive home games against big underdogs: Nevada on Aug. 31 (3:30 p.m., CBS), Florida International on Sept. 6 (noon, Big Ten Network) and Villanova on Sept. 13 (3:30 p.m., FS1).
After a week off, they'll stay at home to host their annual White Out game against reigning Big Ten champ Oregon, which will start at 7:30 p.m. on NBC.
The Big Ten also announced that Penn State will host Northwestern on Oct. 11 for its annual homecoming game. The game will start at either noon, 3:30 p.m. or 4 p.m., on a network to be determined.
Penn State football: See how the Lions will start the 2025 season
Penn State will open its season against Nevada, the teams meeting for the first time ever. The Wolf Pack, which play in the Mountain West Conference, finished 3-10 last season.
Meanwhile, the Lions have played FIU just once in school history − a 59-0 victory in 2007 against first-year head coach Mario Cristobal, now the Miami Hurricanes' leader.
PSU played Villanova most recently in 2021, beating the Wildcats 38-17 in Beaver Stadium.
The Big Ten, once again, will split its TV games with FOX, NBC and CBS. FOX largely broadcasts Big Ten football at noon (Big Noon Kickoff!), while CBS airs games at 3:30 p.m. and NBC in primetime. The Big Ten Network and FS1 also broadcast Big Ten games, and Peacock exclusively streams several contests each year − including Penn State's White Out game last year vs. Washington.
The rest of the schedule for Penn State's anticipated College Football Playoff season, of course, is still in doubt. Most remaining start times will be announced one or two weeks in advance.
The Lions enter the season with hopes of reaching their first national championship game in 39 years. They return a bulk of their stars from last year's 13-3 team that made it to the CFP semifinals while adding three key transfer receivers and another Top 15 recruiting class.
After Oregon, Penn State's biggest games the rest of the season are on the road, namely at Iowa on Oct. 18 and at defending national champion Ohio State on Nov. 1. The Lions' remaining home schedule features Northwestern, Indiana and Nebraska.
Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him atfbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.
