Same Old Story...

[Crimson09Crazy]

Some article I found on Pantherlair.com message boards. Its true. you can skip about the first half.




You may not have realized it, folks, but Penn State-Syracuse used to be the rivalry in the East--and, yes, one of the best rivalries in all of college football.

It's hardly that these days, of course.

Partly because of the fact that these two Northeast universities now sit in different conferences (Penn State enjoying the high life in the Big Ten, Syracuse barely hanging on with the rest of the Big East) and partly because of the fact Syracuse has been downright awful for the better part of the past decade (here's an idea, Orange: Get rid of that horrible dome; nobody wants to play in a glorified basketball arena), it's hard to even fathom a day when Penn State-Syracuse mattered.

But I assure you, those days did exist.

And so you have to give credit to Penn State athletic director Tim Curley for doing what he can to keep those barely flickering rivalry flames alive (criticism of Curley yet to come, however): The Nittany Lions and Orange this week announced plans to open their 2013 season with a showdown (early prediction on the spread? Penn State by 17) at the new Meadowlands Stadium. The game will be the 71st meeting of the schools, and both programs figure to benefit (I guess?) from playing at The Prettiest Building In New Jersey. Penn State and Syracuse officials also say they expect to play a home-and-home series in 2020-2021 (mark your calendars!).

For old-school Eastern college football fans, the renewal of this once-important but now-not rivalry is a good thing. And it is, I suppose. Which means I probably shouldn't complain.

But I'll complain anyway.

Here goes.

My question is simple, folks: Instead of goofing around with short, meaningless series against average-at-best opponents (see: Virginia, Rutgers, Syracuse), shouldn't Penn State finally get around to scheduling the one series that every true college football fan actually wants to see? Shouldn't Curley stop making playdates with the Orange in New Jersey, pick up his phone, touch base with that major university out there in Western Pennsylvania and finally--finally!--find a way to renew the Penn State-Pitt rivalry?

The answer, I assure you, is: Yes.

Yes. Yes.

A thousand times yes.

Yes, Penn State-Pitt should be renewed.

Yes, Penn State-Pitt should be played every year.

And yes, Penn State-Pitt can still happen, even in an expanded Big Ten--and even if (as I expect) the Big Ten powers-that-be decide that Penn State and Nebraska will become season-ending rivals starting in 2011 (sorry, Wisconsin).

Beyond "can" happen though, I happen to believe that Penn State-Pitt series "should" happen. I believe it "must" happen.

Why?

Well, here's why. Because the only thing that separates us (intelligent, savvy, discerning, etc.) college football fans from those barbarian fans up in the NFL is this: History.

Yes, history.

In college football, history matters. It matters a lot.

In college football, teams don't pack up in the middle of the night and flee their loyal fans. In college football, the Cleveland Browns don't sell their soul and become something called "the Baltimore Ravens." In college football, we don't change our uniforms every year (well, except for Oregon). In college football, we don't trash our fight songs--we treasure them. In college football, our history--including our rivalries--matters just as much as the results on the field on Saturday.

In college football, you see, what happened yesterday still matters today. That's what makes this game so great.

In other words, folks, yes, those memories of Penn State-Pitt do live on. They live on in the divided households of Pittsburgh, Johnstown and Altoona. They live on for such former Pennsylvania stars as Dan Marino, Todd Blackledge, Tony Dorsett and Kenny Jackson (who surely treasures that 1981 game). They live on for anyone who truly cares about the history of college football--anyone who truly understands what makes The Greatest Sport in America exactly that.

The only place these memories don't live on, apparently, is up in Happy Valley, where the Nittany Lion powers-that-be stubbornly refuse to acknowledge their history--and their greatest rival.

Sure, they'll throw us college football fans a bone every now and then--give JoePa credit, he is traveling down to 'Bama this year; and yes, Penn State-Syracuse was a great rivalry too--but the one thing they won't give us is the one thing that we really want to see.

Penn State-Pitt.

Every year.

No excuses.

[The Ancient Enemy]

As soon as the BE implodes and Pitt joins the MAC, we'll gladly play you any time you want.

I'm still not sure why you want a guaranteed loss every season.

[Crimson09Crazy]

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahha...wait excuse me.....hahahahahahahahahahaha

man you are one funny guy. Who writes your material?

[The Ancient Enemy]

I did do stand-up one night in Chicago. It did not go well. HAHA

[El-Moldo]

That's 'cause while TAE was standing up, the audience was throwing up.

[The Ancient Enemy]

It was bad.