Three hours on the wrong side of Beaver Stadium in September is a bake. The field runs diagonally, about 135 degrees off north, the shade collects on the southwest sideline, and below is how much of a noon, 3:30 or night Penn State kickoff every area spends in shade, ray-traced for this exact bowl.
Pick your game and kickoff. Watch the shade move across the bowl through the game.
The field runs diagonally, about 135 degrees off north, so the afternoon sun crosses the bowl broadside. The stands on the southwest side block it first: that sideline averages about 66% of a 3:30 game in shade against 14% for the northeast side. Every number here is ray-traced for this exact orientation (135 degrees), latitude and kickoff time, by the same engine as the live map.
Share of a full game spent in shade, by area, for a mid-September Saturday:
| Seats | Noon | 3:30 | 7:00 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest sideline, lower rows | 0% | 68% | 100% |
| Southwest sideline, upper deck | 0% | 63% | 100% |
| Northeast sideline, lower rows | 0% | 24% | 100% |
| Northeast sideline, upper deck | 0% | 6% | 90% |
| Southeast end zone, lower rows | 0% | 38% | 100% |
| Southeast end zone, upper deck | 0% | 20% | 100% |
| Northwest end zone, lower rows | 0% | 41% | 100% |
| Northwest end zone, upper deck | 0% | 37% | 100% |
A 100% cell means that area never sees direct sun that game. The 7:00 column climbs everywhere because the sun sets mid-game.
| Seats | Game in shade | Reaches half shade |
|---|---|---|
| Southwest sideline, lower rows | 68% | about an hour and a half in |
| Southwest sideline, mid level | 68% | about an hour and a half in |
| Southwest sideline, upper deck | 63% | about an hour and a half in |
| Northwest end zone, lower rows | 41% | about 2.5 hours in |
Northeast sideline, upper deck sit in sun for 94% of a 3:30 game, and Northeast sideline, mid level sit in sun for 87% of a 3:30 game. Noon kickoffs start with the sun about 50 degrees high and nearly every open seat lit. You cannot buy full shade at noon here, only a head start: southwest sideline, lower rows gain it soonest.
At a 3:30 kickoff the sun stands about 41 degrees up in the southwest. Minute by minute, this is what the model shows: shade climbs the southwest sideline from the bottom up. The lower rows reach half shade about an hour and a half in, the upper deck about an hour and a half in. Most fans guess the upper deck shades first. Here it is backwards: the rake of the stands roughly matches the afternoon sun angle, so shadow pools at the front rows first and then climbs the bowl one row at a time. Even the northeast sideline, upper deck eventually get there, but not until about 4 hours in.
At a 7:00 kickoff the sun starts about 4 degrees up and disappears before halftime, so every area heads to 100% in the night column. When the schedule offers a night game, that is the shade play, not a seat trick.
Shift the same 3:30 game to late October and the numbers move on their own: about 100% shade on the southwest sideline instead of 66%, with the kickoff sun 15 degrees lower (26 vs 41). November crowds rarely need this page at all.
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Every number here is produced by a 3D ray-traced model of this seating bowl plus the exact solar position for the dates and kickoffs shown, the same engine behind the live map. The model approximates the bowl as a continuous tiered ring, without overhangs, press boxes or section canopies, so read the percentages as a dependable ranking of which areas shade first, not a row-level guarantee. Independent tool; not affiliated with the NCAA or any school.
Same conference, same afternoon sun. Shade guides for the rest of the Big Ten: