Talks of bringing back the Penn State-Pittsburgh rivalry come up every year, but many Nittany Lion fans are split on whether it's worth putting the Panthers back on the schedule.
As for Pittsburgh, head coach Pat Narduzzi is ready to reignite the rivalry despite having an ill opinion on the Big Ten's level of in-conference competition compared to the ACC that he previously shared.
"We'd love to get it going," Narduzzi said to reporters at ACC Media Days. "We're open. If they want to schedule that 13th game, we'd play it right now. We'd get that thing going, [would] love to do it."
Pitt Head Coach Pat Narduzzi on the potential renewing of the Pitt/Penn State rivalry.
— Reed Knapper - Love For The Game (@LFTGCFB) July 17, 2026
"We'd love to get it going...we'd play that 13th game right now"#H2P #ACC pic.twitter.com/PVrsKbv1N5
Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi wants the Penn State-Pitt rivalry back
Head coach Matt Campbell has prioritized instilling a strong culture at Penn State rooted in legacy and history. He's invited back past players to speak to his current team, made it a point of emphasis to keep associate head coach/cornerbacks coach Terry Smith on the staff, and holds himself accountable in having a presence in Pennsylvania.
With that being said, not everything needs to come back. Some things are better left in the past.
An in-state rivalry has buzz, but there has to be real competition associated with it. For other teams, like men's basketball and women's volleyball, an the Penn State-Pitt rivalry works. For football, it doesn't.
The last time the Nittany Lions and Panthers met was in the 2019 season. The blue and white won 17-10, tallying their third consecutive win against Pitt and their 41st win in series history.
While a 41-38-4 series history favoring Penn State seems silly to not continue the rivalry, the Panthers have only won two games since 1989. They beat the Nittany Lions 42-39 in 2016 and 12-0 in 2000. The last time they took home a win was in 1988, 14-7.
Penn State just simply doesn't benefit from this rivalry anymore.
Pitt is in search of its first double-digit win season since 2021 — which was Narduzzi's sole 10-plus win season with the program since he was hired in 2015. As for the Nittany Lions, they have bigger fish to fry in Happy Valley.
Campbell needs to get Penn State back into national title contention, meaning he can't afford a loss to a weaker team for the sake of upholding an in-state rivalry. Even with a win, that's the expectation out of the blue and white, so that doesn't even help when it comes to making the College Football Playoff.
The Nittany Lions need big Big Ten wins, not a playdate with Pittsburgh. They have a different direction with the program that doesn't favor playing teams in weaker conferences, even if Narduzzi wants to live in the delusion that the ACC is stronger than it is.
If Penn State wants a rivalry, it needs to be with real competition that matters. Even if it takes a few seasons to build, a new era with Campbell is the perfect time to create that with another team. If he wants to uphold a certain culture off the field, that's completely fine. It's the on-field stuff that needs to improve. Playing Pitt is a step back. Simple as that.
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