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Penn State football: PSU should bring back the Pitt series

By Christopher Mangum

Sep 9, 2017; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Grant Haley (15) runs with the ball after an interception against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 9, 2017; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Grant Haley (15) runs with the ball after an interception against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /
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In 1993, Penn State football moved from independent to the Big Ten conference. With this move, the Nittany Lions’ biggest rivalry started to fade out. In came the days of playing Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State–gone were the days of playing Pitt, Syracuse, and West Virginia.

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There are many reasons that Penn State should be playing Pitt every year. Although Penn State has bigger fish to fry in the Big Ten, the Nittany Lions have no true in-conference rival. Though this is simply a symptom of joining a new conference, playing the old rivals could benefit profits and TV ratings and spark the old in-state rivalry.

As I said, Penn State has no true in-conference rival. Because Penn State football joined the Big Ten in 1993, the Nittany Lions missed any real rivalry action. The programs in the same tier as Penn State back then were Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State–all of which had their own rivalries in place.

Wisconsin, Iowa, and Nebraska are the big-name programs in the west division; although the Badgers have seen great success in recent years, they were not a big enough threat to be a rival two decades ago. Iowa and Nebraska are too far away and not played enough to form rivalries with Penn State.

The only two teams close to Penn State in the Big Ten are Maryland and Rutgers. Although the Nittany Lions do not get along well with Maryland, the Terps are not good enough to be considered a genuine rival despite the claims of their small fan base. Not having a rival in college football not only hurts national relevance, but it leaves the fans craving a game that is bigger than the game.

When it comes to college football, nothing means more than the rivalries. College football rivalries are unique to the sport–they bleed past the teams themselves into a personal hatred for cities and states. Bringing back Penn State’s true in-state rival would benefit the schools, fan bases, and the state itself. College football needs a fiery rivalry in Pennsylvania again, and Pitt vs. Penn State is the series that everyone wants to see fill that void.

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