No one is more confused by looming Penn State whiteout than Illinois HC Bret Bielema

Bret Bielema may have Big Ten Energy coursing through his veins, but he is painfully unfamiliar with the traditions and pageantry associated with former Big Ten East schools like Penn State. Ahead of their huge Week 5 matchup in State College, Bielema seemed to be hopelessly unaware that Nittany Lion Nation whites out all of Beaver Stadium at least once a season ahead of massive home games.

While he did praise Penn State for having a tremendous football culture, it just goes to show the consequences of Power Four leagues having had divisions for so long. Bielema is closely associated with four Power Four schools, three of which were in the Big Ten West (Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois) and the other being Arkansas. Ask yourself this. How often do the Illini play in State College anyway?

Bielema touched on the first time he went to Penn State while he was a graduate assistant at Iowa.

“It was such an incredible crowd. I’ve been in the Big Ten a long time, but for me, as a GA, to see that for the first time was really overwhelmingly amazing. It’s kind of like a spaceship out in the middle of nowhere."

During his pre-game press conference, Bielema did not seem to appreciate a Penn State whiteout.

“I don’t know if they’re [the Nittany Lions] going to be in blue or white this weekend. Whatever they’re going to be in, they’re going to be dressed. It’s probably going to be one or the other. They’re calling for ‘White Out energy,’ whatever the hell that means."

Even if he is not awestruck by the presence of 100,000 white shirts, he likes Penn State to Nebraska.

“But I would just tell you the part that really I think stands out is their fans are intelligent; they’ve got tradition. Very similar to Nebraska. They’ve been doing this for a long time, and Penn State fans are accustomed to great football.”

This may infuriate the Penn Staters of the world, but you can't really blame him for not knowing this.

Bret Bielema had no idea Penn State did whiteouts for big home games

This is one of the best examples I have of why college football is the best sport in the world. Every team has its own traditions, rituals and whatnot. Right now, there are 70 Power Five schools including Notre Dame, Oregon State and Washington State, soon to be 75 once the five Mountain West defectors join the revamped Pac-12. Plus, there are plenty of Group of Five teams and FCS powers.

What I am getting at is you cannot possibly know everything about every team in college sports. There are just too many of them! While the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL have some 30-plus teams to keep an eye on, college football has dozens, well over 130. With Kennesaw State transitioning, as well as Delaware and Missouri State about to make the leap as well, that massive number is only growing.

Ultimately, I am not going to harpoon Bielema for not knowing about Penn State's whiteout tradition. While Iowa tends to play Penn State quite a good bit, the same cannot be said for Illinois or Wisconsin. This is not like Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze not knowing the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry with Georgia was a huge deal. UGA is Auburn's No. 2 rival. This is not the same thing here.

All I know is the winner of this game in State College is going to look like a serious playoff contender.