Bring Back The Pitt Rivalry

by Stately NOVA Lion @ Black Shoe Diaries on Apr 2, 2008 3:47 PM EDT

This is my plea to bring back the Pitt rivalry. I'm tired of hearing the stories from my father ('66 grad). Yes, the stories are great: Pitt fans dumping sodas on them @ Pitt, 48-14, the tower of ignorance, if you can't go to college go to Pitt, etc.

I am 24 years old and have been attending PSU games since I was three weeks old. In fact, I was born while PSU was being crushed by Nebraska in the kickoff classic (1983); some luck I am.

My fondest memory was when Lavar almost killed their punter and later blocked a kick, when he jumped 12 feet in the air.

Most of my other Pitt memories are from video tapes my father has showed me. Wasn't 48-14 great?

We need to bring back a rivalry game like this to light a fire under everyone. We need a reason to to hate Pitt again. To hate a team so much, that to beat them at the end of the year would "salvage" a lost season. Michigan State is not cutting it. WHAT? Because we are two land grant schools, and we play at the end of the year, we dislike each other? NO, we dislike PITT because they recruit the same players we do...we know them, our guys played against them in high school.

My point is, we can always have the Pitt game to look forward to when we are 9-2 or 8-3 at the end of the year. Let me ask you this, how much more would you have liked Morelli, had he beat Pitt two years in a row?

Exactly.

Oh, and in case you're counting... 50-42-4

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Comments

Sorry

I had to change your title. Otherwise very well written.

Mike
Black Shoe Diaries

Hail to the Lion!

by BSD on Apr 2, 2008 3:52 PM EDT reply actions

thanks mike

i knew the title was pushing it...thanks for posting!

by Stately NOVA Lion @ Black Shoe Diaries on Apr 3, 2008 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions

meh

I don't give a damn about Pitt and I grew up on Penn State.

by Nick Blonde on Apr 2, 2008 3:55 PM EDT reply actions

We need it

Get over it. I grew up on Penn State too, and the 'Nits need such a rivalry again.

It's a rehash of an old argument, but PSU does not have a rival other than Pitt. Despite the poll results, tOSU cares only about beating Michigan each year; Michigan State's biggest rival is also Michigan; and Notre Dame has a list of other schools they would name as rivals before Penn State.

Mark my words - one good thing will happen when JoePa retires, and that will be the renewal of the Pitt - Penn State rivalry.

by Jerry @ Black Shoe Diaries on Apr 2, 2008 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions

Beating Pitt

does absolutely nothing. There are at least 20 schools I'd schedule before Pitt was even up for discussion. Pitt has their rival anyway - West Virginia or did you forget the Backyard Brawl?

by Nick Blonde on Apr 2, 2008 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions

Who then?

Who is Penn State's rival then?

There is not one other school, other than Pitt, that would consider PSU their #1 rival. I am guessing that even when considering the Backyard Brawl, Pitt would rather beat the 'Nits than anyone else.

The question remains then - what school do you think considers themselves as the 'Nits biggest rival?

by Jerry @ Black Shoe Diaries on Apr 2, 2008 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions

Nobody does

who cares?

For the Glory National Champions 1982, 1986, 1994,

by jesse. on Apr 2, 2008 4:20 PM EDT up reply actions

Exactly

by Nick Blonde on Apr 2, 2008 4:24 PM EDT up reply actions

How sad...

Think of the annual matchups that makes college football so great:

Notre Dame & USC
Ohio State & Michigan
Auburn & Alabama
Florida & Florida State
Texas & Texas A&M
Army & Navy

But you guys want to settle for Penn State and Coastal Carolina?

by Jerry @ Black Shoe Diaries on Apr 2, 2008 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions

No

I want to settle for Penn State and Nebraska for two years, then Penn State and Alabama, then Penn State and Miami, etc...

I don't want to settle for funding Pitt's athletic program by selling out their stadium for them while they treat all of our fans like ass, while acting like we owe them something.

For the Glory National Champions 1982, 1986, 1994,

by jesse. on Apr 2, 2008 4:45 PM EDT up reply actions

That would be awesome...

But unfortunately we schedule home and aways with Temple and Syracuse instead.

For someone that misses the rivalry, I just don't understand how anyone can say that PSU/Temple or PSU/Syracuse are OK, but PSU/Pitt is not.

by Jerry @ Black Shoe Diaries on Apr 2, 2008 5:02 PM EDT up reply actions

Except what you are saying is not exactly correct

The Temple series is a four games for two swing, and the two road games are essentially home games anyway.

Syracuse was a one for one deal that was signed ten years ago, just like Notre Dame, Miami, Alabama and Nebraska. Just like Notre Dame, there was no way to tell where Syracuse's program was going to be. Plus, Pitt won't play just a home and home.

For the Glory National Champions 1982, 1986, 1994,

by jesse. on Apr 2, 2008 5:11 PM EDT up reply actions

My point is...

I think Penn State/Pitt is a legit rivalry that should be renewed as it can't be matched.

I think the opportunity won't be seriously considered until after JoePa is gone. Once he is gone, however, I would consider it a shame if it didn't occur.

You obviously think otherwise. Fine. We agree to disagree.

by Jerry @ Black Shoe Diaries on Apr 2, 2008 5:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Guess what?

with the exception of USC-Notre Dame - those are all intraconference matchups. Florida-Florida State isn't really a rivalry per se anyway, not more than Florida State-Miami or Florida-Tennessee/Florida-Georgia(World's Largest Cocktail Party)

by Nick Blonde on Apr 2, 2008 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Shitt on Pitt

Never gets old.

I would love for us to start playing UVA again, as they've been putting together some pretty good teams recently.

May no act of ours bring shame

by Sacked on Apr 2, 2008 3:58 PM EDT reply actions

UVA

You get your wish in a few years.

Mike
Black Shoe Diaries

Hail to the Lion!

by BSD on Apr 2, 2008 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions

2012, I know, I know.

And I'll hold off on any of the common complaints about our recent OOC schedule.

How can UVA schedule USC while we're still going after directionals and Temple?

May no act of ours bring shame

by Sacked on Apr 2, 2008 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions

I'll add my $0.02

and say that I agree with bringing back the game with Pitt. Growing up in the Johnstown area with 90% of friends and acquaintances being Pitt fans (and one an Alabama fan; go figure?); it was a fun game to watch.

I really don't have too much to add to the argument other than it was a good game to watch. Nonetheless, with rivals week and and all the ESPN hub-bub that goes along with it; IMHO this would be a well talked about game. Perhaps all of the excitement (attendance; advertisements, TV rights, etc.) would then turn into significant financial gain for both Universities (as much as I hate to say it; isn't this one of the main "drivers" of this game).

A few years ago wasn't there some type of "movement" by a couple of state congressional representatives for legal reinstatement of this game? I thought I had read something about the introduction of a legal requirement for the game(?)

by unitboy on Apr 3, 2008 10:19 AM EDT reply actions

Yeah but...

I'm from Pittsburgh and am currently a Sophmore at PSU and when PITT somehow gets brought up about PITT and I begin spewing my hatred for them kids east of State College do not understand it. The last time PITT and Penn State played I was 12, and I remember because I've been a Penn State fan my whole life, but kids all the way across the state don't remember playing PITT. Most did not even know that PITT was once are most heated rival or that PSU was once an independent. The point I am getting at is that only about half the state cares if PITT/PSU play anyways, so the rivalry would not be what it once was. Plus I agree with everyone else in that it would only benefit PITT and that there is no logical objective reason to play them again.

by CBlack79 on Apr 3, 2008 6:57 PM EDT reply actions

I will certainly concede that

at this point in time, people in eastern PA most likely do not know much/care about this game. However, at one time this game was a big deal. Think about it; there was even a book written about it ("Beast of the East; sorry, author and date escape me at the moment, I just remember the book).

Rivalries need to be built; they just do not appear. I realize that this is a weak argument; however, my high school had a huge rivalry with a neighboring school. It was always the first game on the schedule and there was a trophy associated with the game (again, sorry, I can't remember the name of the trophy). After several years of losing the game; in 1984 (wow! it's been that long?) I was a senior and we won the game 6-0. There was a huge celebration and the whole town was abuzz. To keep this short; a few years after I graduated, my former HS moved to a different conference. The rivalry ended; nonetheless, a new rivalry has developed with another team where both my former HS and the rival consistently are at the top of the heap of the conference. There have been several close games and the stadium overflows when the two teams meet.

I can't provide any statistics or scientific evidence concerning why I like the idea of this game being reinstated. I just think it would be a good idea. Perhaps financially, it would favor Pitt; overall though maybe the state as a whole can gain something. After the game is reinstated and the "hype" progresses, I would not buy the argument that this game would only be of interest in this neck of the woods. Like myself, there are PSU and Pitt alumni throughout the country (and world for that matter). You can then argue that we should "build" a rivalry with a Big Ten opponent. However, IMHO an in state rivalry, to me, is much more compelling. Besides there is a lot of history with this match-up; the 48-14 "Marino-mashing"; the 7-6 squeaker at TRS; etc. ESPN could run an entire show on the history of the game leading up to kick-off.

Yes, I know the support for my argument is weak and emotional. I just would like to state that I am in full agreement with those who favor the reinstatement of this game. Besides a good friend of mine just bought a brand new 48" plasma and I wouldn't mind tilting a few pints while viewing this game on that killer TV!

by unitboy on Apr 4, 2008 9:57 AM EDT up reply actions