There have been many starting from the traditional eastern school rivalries, to other national powerhouses such as AL, NE, ND, Miami, Tennessee, TX, BYU and others. Which were the biggest rivalries over the years?
What were the biggest Rivalries Penn State has had over the years?
- Thread starter Jerademan74
- Start date
I agree, Aoshiro. The biggest rivalry in Penn State football history has been with Pitt. I am older and attended many of these games since the early 1960s. The fan interest and intensity at these games were extreme - especially the during the Johnny Majors years when Pitt was competitive.
We ought to play Pitt every year. I know some of the younger fans aren't interested in this. Once they experience the rivalry they will change and embrace the game every year like us old timers.
We should play a home and home series with Pitt. Neither team should be given preference. We have played Pitt 96 times -- 71 at Pittsburgh and 25 at State College. Pitt owes us 46 home games before we are even. Thus, we should reschedule next years game to be at Beaver Stadium and play Pitt every year in Beaver Stadium until 2062. After that we would alternate between venues. This seems like a fair plan to me.
Aside from the obvious choices of Pitt, Syracuse, Maryland, West Virginia, Army, and Navy, Penn State's decade-long rivalries with Notre Dame and Alabama were awesome. I think we played these 2 powerhouse programs 22 times in the regular season from 1981-92 going 12-10 overall (8-4 vs ND, 4-6 vs Bama). I count those years because the games were played annually for at least a decade, rather than the mere home-and-home of recent games with both ND and Bama.
Pitt is the only real rival we have ever had, no question. It could someday be Ohio State, but their preoccupation with Michigan will prevent that in all likelihood.
Well everyone knows where I stand concerning playing Pitt. I would love it to be played every year but short of Pitt entering the Big Ten there is almost no chance of that becoming the norm. There is no reason for the teams not to meet when things can be worked out.
I guess one would have to say Pitt only because Penn State was as dominant if not more over Syracuse and West Virginia as well in modern times. Syracuse in the '50s and '60s and for a brief period of time Pitt when Pitt was good. Otherwise, the rivalry with Pitt from when Joe started coaching was very overrated compared to others nationally.
http://groundreport.com/the-pitt-penn-state-rivalry-vastly-overrated/
http://groundreport.com/the-pitt-penn-state-rivalry-vastly-overrated/
RUTGERS.....is not. PITT is it. I have no desire to play Pitt again, but there is no doubt they stand head and shoulders above anyone else. As for Rutgers? Well, they will always have Princeton.
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That rivalry can't be re-created, at least right now. We will play them but it won't have the same intensity or meaning.
Since the early 1990s.....obviously Big 10(11), then Big 10(12), now Big 10(14) officiating.
No other rivalry is even close!
No other rivalry is even close!
C'mon, Gambit, admit it. You're secretly envious of all things Rutgers. LOL...Pitt would not be the obvious choice. Just ask any Rutgers fan.
The Pitt rivalry...has not been a rivalry in quite some time. Look at the last time they actually played. i would say in the past decade our biggest rivals have been Ohio State and iowa.
Old School: Pitt, and to a lesser degree ND. New Age: Michigan and OSU. Some of the other schools have been big games but aren't really rivalries like Alabama, Miami, Neb.
I never saw much in Pitt. When I was at PSU we stomped them every year. Navy was more of a challenge than Pitt. I've always felt that Alabama and Nebraska became games of mutual respect instead of a rivalry. Texas was a rivalry until we broke the wishbone.
Notre Dame could be a big rivalry, but they won't play us. I think we're down to Ohio State and Michigan. I respect Michigan State. They're well coached and play a fairly clean game. Our biggest rivals are the damned refs. They've cost us more games than any other team or coach.
Notre Dame could be a big rivalry, but they won't play us. I think we're down to Ohio State and Michigan. I respect Michigan State. They're well coached and play a fairly clean game. Our biggest rivals are the damned refs. They've cost us more games than any other team or coach.
There are some good things about Rutgers.
I didn't see at her at last year's game. Saw lots of Snookies.
We do not have any "rivals". It was PITT, but that was yesterday and yesterday's gone
That died in 1981 with 48-14.
What are you talking about? Overrated? In the late 70's through early to mid 80's Penn State and Pitt were both perennial top 20 teams; and most of those years one or the other was in line for the MNC. PSU/Pitt was as big as Oklahoma/Nebraska, Texas/Oklahoma, USC/Notre Dame, and Michigan/Ohio State over about a 10-15 year period. Playing on the Friday after Thanksgiving at noon was a National Holiday for all Penn State and Pitt fans.
Ken, Pitt was very good from 1976-1982 and that's about it, and in that time, not one Pitt coach, not Johnny Majors or Jackie Sherrill, and those that followed had a winning record against Paterno. Not one. Tell me how that is possible if that's a great rivalry.
It was a very short-lived rivalry in terms of competitive balance compared to so many others on the college football landscape.
Pitt is not a rivalry. It never really was, except for about 10 year span. If people want to live in the far past, then we should go back to games vs. Yale, Columbia, Penn, Bucknell and Carlisle Indian School.
You beat me to it. Pitt got pretty creative with the rules, and had a few good years starting in 1976, that ended really in 1981. 1982 started the ramp down to their typical mediocrity. Pitt had a 5 year span of relevance, gained solely by cheating. They have one tainted national title. PSU has dominated the series under Joe Pa. The last 8 games were 7-1 in favor of PSU, with the only Pitt win coming against one of the worst PSU teams of all time. From 1966 - 1982, PSU was 14-3 against Pitt.
Pitt has a losing record in recent history.
OK, let's be real. Neither OSU nor Michigan will EVER be our rivals. They have each other. That is EXACTLY why their game is always the last of the season. The league tried to force a "rivalry" with MSU with the very silly land something trophy. A total train wreck. Over time I expect we "may" build a rivalry with, painful to say, Maryland or Rutgers. I think Maryland will be the more formalal opponent in short order. I think they will begin to keep more and more of their state talent in house. Rutgers may at some point, but not in the near future.
You can NOT manufacture a true rivalry.
You can NOT manufacture a true rivalry.
Rutgers certainly feels like we are now their rival since they joined the B1G, but we will likely always treat them like a want-to-be rivalry. Some here are kidding themselves if they don't think that Pitt was ever a real rivalry. There was true hatred for one another, even though we had the upper hand record wise. Syracuse was also a major rivalry when I went to PSU in the early 70's. They would come into town and paint the Nittany Lion orange at night!
Hatred does not equal a rivalry. Pitt fans hate PSU because it is a better school in literally every way. PSU fans hate Pitt fans because they are delusional bitter A-holes that are so annoying that eventually you start to dislike them. That is completely different than what say OSU/UM have. Their rivalry has grown while both were successful, and were vying to be the most successful in the conference.
What did Joe think? He thought it was Michigan.
Michigan was the team he felt he needed to conquer when he joined the Big Ten. So much so that he insisted that the schedules in the first four years feature Michigan right after a PSU bye. That's what drove Bo Schembechler crazy; because Joe got his way. And not surprisingly, Joe went 3-1 in those first four games.
And not so well thereafter.
Michigan was the team he felt he needed to conquer when he joined the Big Ten. So much so that he insisted that the schedules in the first four years feature Michigan right after a PSU bye. That's what drove Bo Schembechler crazy; because Joe got his way. And not surprisingly, Joe went 3-1 in those first four games.
And not so well thereafter.
