Pennsylvania Classic
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| Pitt Panthers-Penn State Nittany Lions | |
|---|---|
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| History | |
| 1st Meeting | November 6, 1893 |
| Last Meeting | September 16, 2000 |
| Next Meeting | TBA |
| Number of Meetings | 96 |
| All-Time Series | PSU: 50-42-4 |
| Largest victory | PSU: 59-0 (10-24-1903) |
| Current Streak | PITT: Won 1 |
| Longest PITT Win Streak | 14 (1922-1938) |
| Longest PSU Win Streak | 10 (1966-1975) |
The Pennsylvania Classic is a currently-dormant football rivalry between two of the most storied college football programs in the Eastern United States: the Penn State Nittany Lions and Pitt Panthers.
[edit] History
Once considered the fiercest and most important college football rivalry north of the Mason-Dixon line, this intrastate rivalry began a slow death in the 1990's when Pitt's football team joined the new football division of the Big East in 1991 alongside the rest of the school's athletic programs already established in the conference. Two years later, Penn State joined the Big Ten, a decision still deemed controversial and troubling today by fans of both schools, fans of football in the East, as well as fans of "traditional" Big Ten schools. The then newly-acquired conference affiliations of the two previously independent football program powers resulted in fewer scheduling opportunities.
The rivalry ended in 2000 when the two school's most recent contract ended, with Pitt winning over Penn State at Three Rivers Stadium 12-0. The two schools haven't met since due to conflicts in scheduling. Longtime Penn State coach Joe Paterno wanted the two schools to play every two games at Beaver Stadium for every game played in Pittsburgh. Pitt found these terms unacceptable, and the two haven't met since.
There have been on-again, off-again talks of restarting the rivalry, but nothing has surfaced as of 2007. The 2010 college football season is currently the earliest the two schools could meet again, as Penn State already has the 2008 and 2009 schedules booked.
While Penn State has since established rivalries with other Big Ten schools (particularly Ohio State) and Pitt still has the Backyard Brawl with West Virginia and the more recent River City rivalry with Cincinnati, many fans would enjoy the resumption of the rivalry.
[edit] Game Results
[edit] External links
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