James Franklin sat at the front of the media room at his weekly press conference on Monday, wearing a white Penn State hoodie. Never before during the head coach’s tenure have more Penn State fans cared about what color sweatshirt he wore.

Most of the Penn State sports information directors scattered around the room also wore white, emphasizing a not-so-subtle message about Saturday night’s game. Franklin’s wardrobe choice came just two days after he said he was demanding “white-out energy” when No. 9 Penn State hosts No. 19 Illinois.

No, Saturday evening is not that officially White out. But don’t be surprised if most of Beaver Stadium is decorated as if it were.

“We want people to have the experience this weekend of identifying with the White Out, whether that’s what it’s called or not,” said Adam Miller, assistant AD for external affairs and engagement at Penn State University.

Miller said he was asked this week by people in and around State College whether they should wear white on Saturday. The fact that the color choice was discussed so often on game day reminded Miller that Penn State fans are proud of and protective of the white-out atmosphere that has been built over time.

Penn State’s white-out game will be Nov. 9 against Washington, as announced in July. But it’s become abundantly clear through Franklin or various player posts this week that white is the color of choice if Penn State fans want to dress accordingly for the prime-time game on NBC.

“If you’re looking in your closet and maybe there’s too much blue in the laundry, maybe you’ve got a stain on your favorite gray hoodie, just take a look in the closet,” center Nick Dawkins said this week. “Take a look in the dresser you barely open. You have something white, just put it on for the game and show some support. That’s all. Just a recommendation.”

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Penn State hosts white-out game against Washington: Did the Nittany Lions get it right?

Athletic administrators discussed who would be Penn State’s white-out opponent in the offseason. The challenge of figuring out start times — many of which Penn State doesn’t have for the rest of the season — while also considering that the main home game against Ohio State on Nov. 2 will likely be on Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” complicates the decision for the white out.

What few predicted at the time was that 19th-ranked Illinois would go 4-0 to Beaver Stadium. In hindsight, it certainly seems like Saturday could have been a compelling choice for a white out. Meanwhile, a rebuilding Washington team is 3-1 and plays, among others, No. 12 Michigan and No. 13 USC before coming to Beaver Stadium in November. This game starts at either 3:30 p.m. or 7:00 p.m., meaning fans may not be able to enjoy the full White Out experience if they wait all day for a night game.

The complexity of scheduling and television viewing will not make decisions about future white outs any easier. Penn State wants to continue making sure it doesn’t overdo what has become an annual stadium tradition. Penn State and college football fans plan trips around the White Out months in advance. For some it is a wish list item.

This week’s organic attempt could provide a glimpse of what Penn State will do in the years to come. Could Penn State pull off a white out in a week if it wanted to do so for a potential College Football Playoff home game or a premier home game that didn’t look all that great a few months ago? Potentially. But there’s still a lot of planning behind the scenes that would make it challenging to pull off such a feat. Even details fans might not think about, like 107,000 white pom-poms in the stadium, require planning and coordination. These will be available on November 9th, but don’t look for them this Saturday. Will the team wear white warm-up suits like they do in the White Out? That is unclear.

“We always evaluate everything we do when it comes to the fan experience,” Miller said. “Whether that means the White Out is an announced and scheduled event or whether it’s a spontaneous, organic thing that our fans create, we support it. … We have the atmosphere that everyone else wants to build and create. We’re trying to refine it and make sure it continues.”

What will Miller wear on Saturday?

“I think there’s a pretty good chance I’ll be wearing white,” Miller said.

(Photo: Dan Rainville / USA Today)