The 2025 White Out game has arrived, folks.

No. 3 Penn State will face off against No. 6 Oregon in the Greatest Show in College Sports on Saturday. This is the first time any current undergraduate student in Happy Valley will see a top-20 matchup in the White Out slot.

With anticipation high, College GameDay is set to add to the atmosphere, choosing Beaver Stadium over the Alabama vs. Georgia game.

Also adding to the hype is Oregon’s addition to the Big Ten. While the two sides have only met five times over the years, with a 3-2 record in Penn State’s favor, a 45-37 game in the 2024 Big Ten Championship suggests a general dislike between the teams and their supporters.

Many fans have been disappointed in the Nittany Lions’ start to the season, despite big victories over Villanova, FIU, and Nevada. Fans are mostly upset with the lack of offensive production. With that being said, some believe Penn State has been holding back and is set to explode this weekend.

Regardless of what you think about Penn State in 2025, there is no arguing that Saturday is the first test of the season.

The Team

Oregon has started the season off hot, winning three games at home and another at Northwestern. The Ducks have scored an average of 50.75 and allowed only 9.25 points against. While the opponents have not been crazy, Oregon has faced off against two Power Four teams in the Wildcats and Oklahoma State.

Coming into the season, the Nittany Lions and the Ducks were in opposite sports. The Eugene, Oregon, team had a ton of question marks after losing a lot of talent to the NFL Draft, and Penn State had some of the most returning starters in the country.

Regardless, Oregon has hit on most of its portal grabs, including Penn State defensive tackle target Bear Alexander. The Ducks have also received help from true freshmen such as standout receiver Dakorien Moore.

Oregon’s head coach, Dan Lanning, is entering his fourth season in Eugene with a record of 35-6 in his first three seasons. Lanning is popular for his pregame speeches that are posted on social media, typically focused on the opposing team.

The Ducks’ head coach spent time with programs such as Pitt, Alabama, Georgia, and Memphis, ranging from a graduate assistant to a defensive coordinator. Oregon is his first head coaching job.

The defensive coordinator, Tosh Lupoi, is entering his third season with Oregon after being hired by Lanning in 2022. Lupoi started his career as the defensive line coach at Cal. He has since worked as the defensive coordinator under Nick Saban as well as a position coach in the NFL.

Will Stein is the offensive coordinator and is also entering his third year with the Ducks. Stein joined Oregon from his role as the co-offensive coordinator of UTSA, which he got after working with Texas and Louisville.

The Offense

One of the questions the national media was asking before the start of the 2025 season was if Dante Moore had what it took to lead Oregon back to the playoffs. Well, those questions have been answered through the first four games as the UCLA transfer has thrown for 962 yards and 11 touchdowns with just one interception.

What is still unknown about Moore is how he will handle pressure, and the first read always being there. While he has proven he can make almost any throw on the field, this is a lot easier when you do not have to go to your third or fourth option often.

There is also the noise factor. While playing at Northwestern’s temporary stadium is sneaky difficult, that is more because of the wind noise rather than fan noise. The White Out is like nothing else, and Moore will have to be ready to go from the start.

Surprisingly, Jayden Limar has been the most productive running back for the Ducks so far in the 2025 season. Many expected Makhi Hughes, the impressive Tulane transfer, to take over the backfield, but he has only 17 carries this season.

Oregon has been running a committee this season, but the potential return of Noah Whittington could change that. Whittington ran for 82 yards on 15 carries against the Nittany Lions in 2024.

In terms of receiving threats, the Ducks have been reliant mainly on Moore. The true freshman has 12 receptions for 207 yards this season and has shown big-play potential often. Malik Benson has also looked good with a team-leading 14 catches for 201 yards.

Oregon’s offense also boasts one of the best tight ends in the country in Kenyon Sadiq, who has nine receptions for 155 yards and three touchdowns.

The Defense

The Oregon front seven was one of the best in the country last season, and it returned a lot of its leading talent. Bryce Boettcher led the team in tackles in 2024, and he is on pace to do it again this year with 27 through the first four games.

In fact, the entire linebacker room has been impressive for the Ducks. Teitum Tuioti is second on the tackling list with 18, and Jerry Mixon, Blake Purchase, and Devon Jackson aren’t far behind with at least 10 each.

All of that, and arguably the team’s best player, Matayo Uiagalelei, hasn’t been mentioned. The linebacker only has seven total tackles on the season, but three of them have been sacks, which leads the team.

The rest of the defensive line is made up of Alexander and Terrance Green. While this is one of the “weaker” areas in the Oregon defense, the pair combine for 21 tackles and half a sack.

The defensive backs are almost entirely new faces, but have been very impressive through the opening of the season. The Ducks have allowed just 120 passing yards per game, with the average attempt going 5.1 yards.

Special Teams

Oregon’s special teams have been no different than the rest of the squad: impressive. Atticus Sappington leads the way as the team’s place kicker, as well as taking half of the kickoffs. Sappington is five of six on field goals this year with a long of 42. He has been perfect from under 50, similar to how he did in the 2024 season.

Sappington has also kicked off 17 times, but redshirt freshman Gage Hurych has had 19. Hurych is averaging 64.79 yards per kick, with 14 touchbacks so far this season. The Ducks punter James Reynolds-Ferguson is averaging 39.5 with a long of 51.