ESPN’s College GameDay returns to Happy Valley for the fifth consecutive year ahead of the annual Penn State White Out game. No. 10 Penn State hosts No. 22 Auburn on Saturday, September 18.

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GameDay is the weekly college football preview show every Saturday morning. The crew and cast travel to a different college football town each week and host the show in front of a rowdy group of fans for three-straight hours from 9 a.m. to noon.

This is the 22nd time College GameDay has been at the site of a Penn State game; it’s the 10th time the set has been in State College.

The 12-time Emmy Award-winning show is hosted by Rece Davis, with analysts Lee Corso – who returns to the main desk after contributing virtually last season, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and David Pollack, Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica, and reporters Jen Lada and Gene Wojciechowski.

White Out Atmosphere

  • UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – OCTOBER 19: General view of the white out crowd before the game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Michigan Wolverines on October 19, 2019 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
  • STATE COLLEGE, PA – NOVEMBER 7: Penn State Nittany Lions fans cheer during a “white out” before a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes on November 7, 2009 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. Ohio State won 24-7. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
  • STATE COLLEGE, PA – NOVEMBER 7: Penn State Nittany Lion fans cheer during a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes on November 7, 2009 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. Ohio State won 24-7. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
  • UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – OCTOBER 27: Penn State students cheer their Nittany Lions after staging a “white out” during the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium on October 27, 2007 in University Park, Pennsylvania. Ohio State won 37-17. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
  • UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – OCTOBER 27: Penn State students cheer their Nittany Lions after staging a “white out” during the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Beaver Stadium on October 27, 2007 in University Park, Pennsylvania. Ohio State won 37-17. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)

The annual Penn State White Out game is a date ESPN’s analysts have circled on their calendar.

“This is the year in which we are celebrating the return of the fans [in college football],” Davis said. “So, why wouldn’t you come to the White Out?”

Many of the ESPN analysts calling this game one of the best atmospheres in all of college football, and a great example of what we missed without fans in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Of all the games I called [in 2020], this one last year with Ohio State was probably a microcosm of last year,” Herbstreit said. “Now to come back — and I know it’s not back to normal yet — but just to have a full stadium, I think it’s going to be electric.”

Although this game has a significant amount of hype around it, there’s a bigger matchup in Week 4: No. 1 Alabama facing No. 11 Florida.

“The game of the day, as important as this game is, is in Gainesville in terms of the highest ranked teams,” Davis said. “[It] doesn’t mean it’s the best game, doesn’t mean it’s the best scene. [It] doesn’t mean it’s the best for the show; it doesn’t mean at the end of Saturday that will be the most important game. [The White Out], to me, was the most compelling scene [for College GameDay].”

ESPN College GameDay will air live from 9 a.m.–noon Saturday. Penn State’s against the Tigers will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on abc27, post-game analysis and reaction to follow from the abc27 sports team live outside of Beaver Stadium.