Who is Penn State’s biggest rivalary with…and why?

College rivalries can bring a sense of excitement and camaraderie to campus life. These friendly competitions between institutions can create a strong sense of community within each school, as students, faculty, and alumni come together to support their team and show off their school spirit. Rivalries can also promote healthy competition and drive students to excel both academically and athletically. In addition, college rivalries can create a shared history and tradition among students and alumni, fostering a sense of pride and identity in their alma mater.

Growing up as a Penn State fan in the early ’80s, the first rival I learned about was Pitt. They were good enough to pose a challenge on the football field (strange concept, I realize), they had a weird mustard/puke color of Yellow on their uniforms, and they had the catchiest slogan that said you should defecate on their university. The fact that they were from Pennsylvania was just the icing on the cake. But even though I rooted against them and said funny things about them, I never wished ill will on them.

Then, Penn State joined the Big Ten and suddenly, Pitt was irrelevant. There were new teams to hate. Pretty much from day one, for me, it was Ohio State. I’ll be the first to admit that a great deal of this intense dislike comes from their success, against Penn State in head-to-head matchups, but also with their success on the national scene as well.

When the Big Ten plays outside the conference in the early season and for bowl games, I generally root for our conference, with the sole exception of Ohio State. Such is the level of my disdain for them. But even at this level of intense dislike, if they ever have a philanthropic event that helped something, I wouldn’t knock them for it.

A new rivalry has been building for Penn State for almost a decade now and at first, it seemed intense but borderline fun.

Of course, I’m talking about the Maryland Terrapins. Ever since they joined the Big Ten, they’ve had a bit of a chip on their shoulder, trying to prove that they belong. When they snubbed the Penn State captains before the game, I was angered but not repulsed.

I remember the 1987 Fiest Bowl when the Miami Hurricane players refused to eat with Penn State players at a steak fry before their bowl game together. Giving an impromptu history lesson, Miami defensive tackle Jerome Brown grabbed the microphone and said “Let’s get out of here. The Japanese didn’t eat with Pearl Harbor before they bombed it”. The late Penn State punter John Bruno then wisely pointed out “As I recall, the Japanese lost that war, didn’t they?”

I think the rivalries created by the players, while intense, can be good for the game. They can add a level of excitement to an otherwise meaningless game.

But, as is often the case, when fans get involved, these rivalries are often blown out of proportion until they became something uglier and more sinister.

Which brings me to the issue I’m addressing today. Recently, I saw these on Twitter and, at first, found it amusing until I realized the person tweeting it was serious and sincere.

This Maryland “fan” is ripping not just Penn State but the whole state of Pennsylvania whenever they conduct any sort of philanthropic drive. I’m still trying to wrap my head around this level of absurdity. Is this person the only person in the history of the world who is pro-cancer?

I used to say that I “hated” Ohio State and all that they entail…and while I’m not aware of any charitable organizations they are involved with, I certainly wouldn’t complain about it if they were.

Luckily, this “person” is being taken to task with the majority of comments being of the “anti-jerk” variety. And, while it’s important to remember that this moron doesn’t speak for the entire Maryland Terrapin community, they did just make it a little easier to be a little more invested whenever we play the Terps.