Analysis: Could alliance help bring back Penn State vs. Pitt?

ALTOONA, Pa. -- Renewing the Pitt-Penn State rivalry always leads to fun -- and sometimes divisive -- discussions, because fans on both sides have very strong opinions about the subject.

Some fans -- and a whole bunch of media folks from both sides -- say yes, absolutely the two longtime PA rivals should play each other often, if not every year.

Other fans say, you know what, been there, done that. Just move on and play somebody else. The rivalry is for the old-school fans, and they need to simply let it go.

No matter what, merely bringing up this topic always stirs up good debate. And the topic has surfaced again this week, with the announcement of an alliance between the Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12.

If such an alliance truly does come to pass to make a strong impact on college football -- and that's a really big if (more on that later) -- having some type of scheduling arrangement between the Big Ten and ACC could potentially help bring about a Pitt-Penn State game or two at some point.

But let's be clear: There are obstacles to making that happen, the same obstacles that have always stood in the way.

First off, do enough people really want to see Pitt play Penn State again? Well, Panthers quarterback Kenny Pickett certainly does.

"I say yes. I think it's a great game," Pickett said this week during an interview on 93.7 The Fan. "I think it's two passionate fan bases. I'm from New Jersey, so I really wasn't too familiar with (the rivalry)."

That last sentence is important in this discussion, whether Pickett knows it or not.

Pickett comes from only one state over, and yet wasn't familiar with the Pitt-PSU rivalry. That's because it's a PA thing -- granted, a very, very big PA thing -- but still something that doesn't make a huge impact on the national college scene any longer, like it did in the 1970s and early '80s.

Therein lies some of the issue. Penn State wants to play marquee programs from around the country. And it really only has room on the schedule for one major non-conference opponent each season, because the Big Ten plays nine league games.

Whether Pitt fans or anyone else likes it, the bottom line is Penn State doesn't want to lock itself into having to play Pitt very often because the people at PSU want variety and/or some bigger programs to fill that one non-conference slot. Auburn fills that role this year and next, then West Virginia the following two years.

It's not about competition or PSU looking down on the Pitt program competitively. The Panthers can beat Penn State in any given year. No doubt about it. Pitt's 42-39 win at Heinz Field in 2016 ultimately knocked PSU out of a College Football Playoff that year. Penn State did win the final three games of that recent four-game series, which concluded in 2019 with Pat Narduzzi's infamous decision to try a field goal from the 1-yard line trailing by seven points late, in what turned out to be a 17-10 PSU victory.

Back to the series, this is and always has been about money. Just about everything in college sports nowadays is about money, which is sad and depressing, but that's just the way it is.

Penn State can sell out Beaver Stadium playing against pretty much any team in the country. I've long joked that I could go get 22 people at Walmart, put them in uniforms and go play at Penn State, and the game would sell out.

Pitt just cannot do that at Heinz Field, against really anybody except for Penn State.

So, the long-standing argument goes like this: Penn State fans will say that Pitt needs the rivalry game far more than PSU needs that game. And then Pitt fans get offended by that, with some claiming their program is every bit as good as Penn State.

Which is just not true. Many Pitt fans surely will get offended by that, but the facts are the facts. The Panthers have not been as successful as the Nittany Lions on the field for most of the past few decades, and financially, it's not even close from a football revenue standpoint.

That doesn't mean the rivalry games aren't fun. They are a blast. I covered the last four in the series renewal, and the buildup during those game weeks was fun, plus two of the four games were very competitive.

Pickett, Pitt's QB, reminded folks of this key nugget during his radio interview.

"When I came here, I had my visit (during) the 2016 Penn State game," he said. "That was an awesome, awesome game."

He also added of the rivalry: "It's a game with a lot of passion. The last game we had at Penn State there coming down to the wire, we threw it up in the end zone in the two-minute drill, Hail Mary. The kind of electricity in the stadium, it's different in a rivalry game.

"I think that game along with the West Virginia one would be great to have pretty much every year. I don't see why not. I think you should give what the fans of the schools want to go see, so hopefully they can get back on that schedule here soon."

This is where the alliance could come into play. If -- and again, it's a big if -- the alliance does pan out between the Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12.

There is nothing in writing between the leagues. Nothing has been agreed upon or guaranteed in any way, shape of form. There is no way to tell at this stage if what these conference officials have discussed will ever happen.

The alliance, as it currently stands, is all talk. Maybe that can change in the future and the leagues will firm up scheduling agreements, TV deals, playoff allegiances or what have you.

Maybe.

Or maybe not.

The belief here is that these conferences will do anything and everything to save themselves, and that includes going out and getting the best possible deal on the table whenever it's available -- regardless of whether there's already some verbal alliance with other leagues.

But let's say, for the sake of argument, that the leagues do form a scheduling alliance. The answer is yes, that certainly could help pave the way for another Penn State vs. Pitt matchup at some point, or perhaps a two-game series.

As things currently stand, there's been little hope of another game until at least 2030, although that conceivably could change since Penn State's home-and-home series against Virginia Tech was canceled.

But here's the catch: If Penn State has a chance to play non-conference games against teams from the ACC or Pac-12, then Pitt would not be at the top of the wish list for the Nittany Lions or many of their fans when it comes to opponents.

USC, Oregon, Stanford, Washington, UCLA -- those would be the Pac-12 teams Penn State probably would rather play instead of a game against Pitt.

And in the ACC, it certainly would be Clemson, Florida State and Miami ahead of Pitt on the priority scale.

So, even if the alliance with the ACC and Pac-12 does include scheduling parameters, a case could be made that Penn State would have at least eight other teams it would rather play than Pitt.

Without question, I would like to see more Pitt-Penn State games. They are fun for everyone involved in this state, and it's a shame the schools do not play more often.

But there are certain realities in play at both Penn State and Pitt that have taken this rivalry away from us, and we probably shouldn't hold our breath hoping it comes back anytime soon.