Nebraska plays on Black Friday. Alabama plays Tennessee on the third Saturday in October.* Michigan and Ohio State play “The Game” at noon on the last week of the regular season. The Whiteout, a spectacle that put the “color out” tradition on the map by being the best to do it, is Penn State’s addition to what makes college football what it is.
The “performative, but in an authentic way,” nature of the event, as Josh Pate put it recently, coupled with, traditionally, one of the best opponents on the schedule, makes for a crazed fan base who have an intimate role in influencing the outcome of the game.