It’s still more than three years away until Pitt and Penn State play for the first time since Pitt shut out Penn State 12-0 in 2000 — wow. It will be a 16-year gap. Amazing. Hard to believe it will be that long. But I digress.
The renewal was only to be a single home-and-home. But that was before all the, um, changes that have taken place in Happy Valley over the last year or so. A new coach. An interim AD. The passing of a certain obstinate figure. And the continual badgering by Pitt’s AD have led to an extension of the series to four years rather than two.
Last year, the two universities signed a home-and-home agreement for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Today, Pitt and Penn State announced a two-year extension of the original pact for 2018 and 2019.
Pitt will host the initial game at Heinz Field on September 10, 2016. The Panthers will play at Penn State on September 16, 2017. The new agreement will have the series returning to Pittsburgh on September 8, 2018, with a return trip to State College on September 14, 2019.
It’s welcome news for a rivalry game that should have never ended.
The hope obviously is that long-term it re-establishes the annual game without having to be as much of an issue. Given the constant shifting of conference size and the potential of 9-game schedules in-conference to fill inventory as teams pursue TV dollars and their own cable channels. There are not guarantees. That it is why it is important to extend the series as much as possible now.
The Pitt-Penn State game now going through 2019 guarantees that WVU will not be on the football schedule until at least the next decade. Pitt is still slated to play ND through 2016, there simply won’t be a spot for the Brawl.
Still. Sixteen years between the last game and the next one. The longest gap in the series since it began.
For both Pitt and Penn S
Thus better news would have Pitt replaying Mountaineres in lieu of PSU.
I always wished joepa dead to renew the series. It’s just not the case anymore, for this CAS ’93 anymore.
That can’t be good for them and if the comments attributed to Alvarez are true and a school was turned away from joining the Big group that can’t count past 10, then it was likely WVU.
Pay attention closely. Something else is happening out there.
It could be nothing more than WVU being isolated as a result of their move to the Big 12 and Luck’s unmitigated arrogance, or it could mean a more fundamental shift in conference shifting or not a damn thing.
But is sure as hell means that Pitt gets back its most natural rival and national exposure and WVU gets isolated even further.
time! In addition to the excitement of the series the game is
an economic boost to the region. Also this is a game
taxpayers want to see. Here’s hoping there is never a point in time when “one person” prevents the continuation of this series. This game needs to happen every year!
Forget about the hoopies…
I’m glad Pitt vs. Penn State is on future scheduling. Now, let’s get Temple back on the schedule and forget about the Youngstown States…
Alvarez: B1G added to avoid losing PSU
http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/73696/alvarez-b1g-added-to-avoid-losing-psu
Thanks for posting the article. It seemed like there was more to the Big Ten adding Maryland and Rutgers for the sole purpose of gaining more tv sets and extending its footprint. It makes more sense to me that this was also done to keep Penn State happy.
Over the past few years, the Big Ten has taken a beating from the media for its lack of on the field competitiveness with the SEC. Its reputation as a top football conference has taken a hit. It is one of the reasons why I was so surprised when they added two more pedestrian football programs.
I’m still hoping that there is an outside chance that the ACC can somehow land Penn State if ND brings its football program on board. I know this is probably wishful thinking, but I think Swofford has something up his sleeve.
Right now there are no teams other than Penn State and Notre Dame that I would rather see as full members of the ACC.
Whatever, not really even discussing that end of it.
I would like it, just for the humor of seeing Delaney, Maryland AD and Rutgers AD’s faces when told PSU leaving!!!!!!!
Ya, they’d still have their money at Maryland and Rutgers, but that would be great fun.
“hey, I thought we were gonna play you regularly and be our rival”.
Just for the fun and the chaos it would cause across the board, and all the articles that would be written on ESPN, CBS, and websites.
Pipe dream, but it would be grand!!!!
in the section in your college football history books titled rivalries Pitt/PSU is right up in the top tier:
Harvard/Yale
Army/Navy
Texas/Oklahoma
Ohio St/Michigan
NDU/USC
Alabama/LSU
and…..without a doubt Pitt vs. PSU.
The Backyard Brawl was a big game, however, it was not the closing game of the season…Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania was turkey and smash mouth football between “Happy Valley” and the boys from the big city.
Let the Hoopies burn their stupid couches…I opt for crushing the clowns WHO ARE PENN STATE!!!
Bring it on!! Can’t wait!!!!
Allready getting banter with PSU nieces and nephews going!!!!
For PSU, they get to travel and recruit south, and get eastern rivalries back. Sports are cyclical Maimi and FSU will be in the top 10 again at some point. PSU would have a better opportunity for BCS games coming through the ACC.
Rutgers and Maryland add little to PSU. They already get the best recruits out of those areas.
It is possible that they lose some of the recruits now that they will go head to head.
PSU has a great new coach, but I still doubt that they can compete with Michigan and Ohio year to year and Wisconsin and Iowa have been giving them trouble.
The ACC makes sense for PSU. Maryland made a major mistake because of money. They won’t be able to compete and recruiting is going to get a whole lot harder.
Anyway, while it will be fun to play PSU, the rivalry won’t be the same until they are in the same conference, and unless they are competing for championships.
“I know you guys have all the ammunition for comebacks to any remarks. I’m drinking my beer and keeping a low profile”!!! LOL
Amen! My words exactly!
I’m thrilled beyond words that the series will resume, I wish it was Sept 2016 already. And if we never play those couch burning imbeciles from Morgantown again, I’m okay with that (if that means we get to play the Nits instead). Altho, 13-9 was a sweet game.
marcus of shaumburg, you’re missing one point: we’re not embracing PSU’s culture, if we win we’ll be (figuratively speaking) throwing dog turds on the grave of their dead 80+ icon by beating them at the thing they worship most! Can’t you see how it’s different? ESPECIALLY when we beat them up in State College.
And the best part: with any luck, 2016-2017 will be just when the full weight of their scholarship reductions will have their on-field product at its weakest. I for one wouldn’t mind returning 48-14 on them…
However, you have to realize that everyone born in PA knows someone who went to PSU, and everyone knows that ‘PSU Fanatic’ and has to grimace every time their head is held high reminiscing about how amazing Cowland University is. The venom and ammunition is still there, and it hasn’t had a chance to come to the surface as it did in some time. I am fully expecting both football programs, especially Pitt’s, moving forwards and upwards with the continued renewal of this rivalry.
Two years ago, would anybody have guessed that Pitt-PSU is resuming? And that no Paternos, not even Jay, would be roaming the sidelines?
I met SP once, in Denver at an alumni function when the hoops team was here for March Madness. He & I spoke for a half-hour, almost all of it about to my hopes & desire to see this series resume, and his hard & ongoing efforts (fruitless at that time). How important it was to fans, how hard he was working but running into brick walls from Nits Nation. etc etc.
Yes, a LOT had to go wrong for the Nits to add a measure of humility (humiliation?) or a sense fairness or whatever. I’m NOT glad for HOW it happened (sandusky & his victims), nobody is. But I AM glad that PSU was knocked down a peg (and will soon be knocked down a few more…).
Next time I see SP, I’ll start working on him to bring back the Script unis, at least on occasion, like ND wears the greens!
nevertheless, state penn has historically been out rival. the smash talking had simmered for years and is now, already, taking off with years to go before the next game.
i respect the wvu rivalry, too. it’s just not the same. i hear that we’re doing to them what was done to us, but i don’t hear luck lamenting the lost rivalry either. maybe both schools are disinterested.
keep calm
hail to pitt
The best of any reason was given to you for not playing WV, it is the “wild whites”. When a college football fan can’t make the road trip to see their team play due to crowd violence then you don’t need to play them. It happens in Morganhole far too often that visiting fans are physically abused and they are 10 times worst in their treatment of Pitt fans. I go all over the country to watch Pitt play and I live less than an hour from Morganhole and fear for my safety, and my vehicle’s safety. I experinced not once but twice in Morganhole , never again.
If the series means so much to WVU then they can come to Pittsburgh every year.
Pedophile protecting Poopy Pants Paterno
Hopefully Joe is getting his in Hell ! lol
Unless you’re a anti-football Commie or a Hoopie.
Or a combination of both. haha
Isolating WVU eliminates a lot of wpial recruits because there are no road trips that parents can get to easily. A couple of 6-6 years at WVU and that program is in trouble. If they are smart, they beg to join the ACC for program survival.
Unless you come from a family that has a bunch of WVU graduates, then, maybe it’s personal too you.
If you live in W.Pa., you, probably like most, know one or maybe two people who went to WVU.
And like most, you probably know about 40 people who went to PSU.
Yes, you should be excited. If you live in W.Pa., it will be in the schools, your work, the bars you go to, the grocery stores etc. etc.
Again, not being sarcastic, if your family, or you have a bunch of buddies that went to WVU, well, then won’t be for you.
For most, Penn St is the game, and the younger grads, you will fall right into it too, and love it!!!
“I know you guys have all the ammunition for comebacks to any remarks. I’m drinking my beer and keeping a low profile”!!! LOL
Comment by Dan 12.08.12 @ 11:47 am
They (well most of them) never to this day think that anything was wrong up at Creepy Valley. And that Joepa was done a disservice, blah blah blah.
Most of them were wild that the BOT did what they did. Obviously Zombie Nation is quite delusional.
By 2016, that will all be long forgotten by them,
it will be up to us to keep the fires fanned (or the showers running), so to speak.
They do the we’re above you thing because the game got cancelled.
I still have family pissed about the last game getting beat 12-0.
Believe me, we go beat em’ 4 in a row, they’ll care.
By the way, any nitter gives you story about “we’re above this game”…………..
get some drinks in them, quite a few, and then just watch the bitterness ooze from their mouths, it’s a beautiful thing!!!
isn’t that one in the same. lol
Actually, nastier than it’s ever been, like a “serious nasty”.
Allready told my crew, I’ll behave and try and keep it classy……. until I hear the first nitter mouth off, then with some pops in me, “All bets are off”!!!!!! LOL
“of course you have good tight ends, you guys love tight ends, you’re always practicing with the tight ends!!”
See what I mean. I’m sober, at my office computer, 4 years away and I came up with that little diddy!!!
LMAO
“you guys suck…………..literally”
LMAO!!!
the tee stand is at home plate Steve, they’re putting the ball on the tee……………
put Pitt script and colors back and go ahead and hit that home run Steve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It’s like a big juicy beach ball waiting to be hit!!!
Good time to be a Pitt football and hoops fan!!!
And Sir Tino graduating, 4 more quarters to go !
Gotta love their nickname The Ospreys
I’ve driven past their campus in Jacksonville, it’s a really fast growing school that hasn’t been around long. Not much of a hoops team yet.
They are 3-5 and play in the Atlantic Sun Conf.
They did play Florida State tough losing by only 8 points and have played a tougher schedule than us. Also losing to #17 Memphis by 15 and #21 Minnesota by 28. Also lost to K State.
The victories have been against Florida A & M,
Bethune-Cookman and something called Edward Waters. I’m assuming that’s a college or something, sort of like Wvu. Except more classy.
The Ospreys are led by a stickfigure of a guard named Parker Smith (6-3, 155 lbs) 17ppg
Tallest player is 6-8. Adams should be able to grab some bounds and score a few points one would think.
The two teams last met in 2010, with Pitt winning,
95-49. So some guys(Aron Nwankwo, Mike Lecak) might play tonite, who don’t normally get in. Let’s hope, cause that’s always fun !
HTP !
After we beat them, they’ll care. Heck they care now, just watch their faces when you remind them we won the last game agaisnt them and that was 12 years ago (16 years ago by the time we play next).
I can’t speak for you, but I don’t hate WVU. And I won’t after 12 years absence either. Yes they hate us, especially after 13-9.
On the other hand, I despise PUS with every fiber of my being DESPITE it being 12 years since we last played.
Trust me, after we play the nits or peds or whatever you wanna call them 2-3 times, you’ll understand. Especially if we win, because they’ve always been such sore losers.
I live in Colorado, and I’ll buy season tix the years we play PSU at home just to have seats for that game. Even tho it’ll also mean having to buy airline tickets. If they announced instead the WVU series was resuming, my reaction would be just to make sure I record the game if I wasn’t gonna be home. Not even close to the same thing.
I can’t wait!! You’re in for such a treat, I just hope we whip them to get things off to a good start….
An ideal, dream 12 game schedule would be:
WVU
Arizona State
MAC team like Buffalo or Eastern Michigan
Lightweight Big East opponent like Tulane or Memphis or Temple
Conf games
PSU
ND
FSU
Clemson
UNC
VA
Miami
GA Tech
That is the near future I dream of.
Not sure I’d the Maryland and rutger move quits PSU but it was definitely meant to send a message to someone
As for me. I like both.
Now on the hardwood, Pitt wore a throwback jersey in dark blue with PITT written as it is here.
Pitt is a brand. Pittsburgh is a city.
Don’t F with the brand anymore. At all times, without exception, the name is PITT.
I imagine we’ll play WVU again next decade. It just probably won’t be more than 2-4 times per decade, sort of like what happens with Miami and Florida.
1) http://lubbockonline.com/stories/051009/loc_438243037.shtml
2) His ex-wife and his kids live 10 miles from Lubbock (OK, that’s only half a reason)
3)Geno Smith & Tavon Austin are both seniors.
Of course the hoopies will match any offer….but this would be great….
Here’s my initial contribution to the cause,,,, Of course they’re know as “linebacker u” those guys have been drilled in deep penetration since they’ve been old enough to pull their pants down.
That is soooo bad,,,,,,it’s good! and almost four years to come up with so much more,LOL!
The Mutually Beneficial girl is back – Hooray
What’s going on with Tuberville, TT to UC ???
They must have told him to leave or get fired.
Cause that makes no sense.
You make a good point on WV and future recruiting problems with WPIAL players since closet conf. opponent is 800 miles away. But you also should consider that WV is in a whole lot of hurt recruiting wise since they went to the B12 because there are no Fl schools in B12. No games in Fl translates no recruits from Fl. Currently there more than 30 Fl players on WV roster.
As to scheduling non-con in Fl ,it won’t be easy for WV because they ticked Fl St when they canceled their game this season, So Fl won’t schedule them for leaving the BE, Gators would crush them, only remote chance is Miami but I’m sure they can be convinced not to schedule WV.
WV future recruiting is in a whole lot of hurting.
Within the first 5 minutes of sitting in our seats that day a shit-talkin-asshole psu fan infront of us had punched my buddy in the jaw and a duchebag psu guy behind is had punched him in the back of the head!
What a day!
What a rivalry!
Penn State sucks!
I still revel in the glory of twelve to nothing and watched the game rather than making out with a hot chick, the only one interested in my loser tenth grade ass.
And most importantly, I was engaged to a Nitter and we hated our respective schools so much, it prevented our future wedding from ever happening because PSU people are ARROGANT asses that actually believe they went to an IVY League School.
My favorite day of work this year was when my poor suffering buddy from lowly Ohio U got to talk shit on the loud mouth Pedos.
This rivalry will be life changing for the youngsters.
Damn PSU 4 Life.
Thank God for small favors. You might have been legally bound to the woman had not common sense prevailed.
Also gives insight to Chryst and his staff and their approach to recruiting.
http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/3089109-85/chapman-roosevelt-pitt#axzz2EeaKScua


