The good news, is that Pitt has been following that whole 2-wins, 2-losses thing. So from that side of things, Pitt should win in Tampa on Saturday night.
The bad news. Pitt hasn’t won a Big East road game this year. The only road win this year: at Buffalo. Oh, and Pitt is 0-4 in night games this year (1-6 in all games that did not start at noon).
Pitt sits at 5-6. A win squeaks them into a bowl game. Normally this would have Pitt staring down the barrel of a 3d straight trip to Birmingham and the BBVA Bowl. Yet, oddly enough, there is a good chance for Pitt to snag a bid to one of the other bowls.
The Pinstripe and Beef O’Brady Bowl both seem to be expressing a bit more interest in grabbing Pitt.
Admittedly, this seems like small consolation, but after two straight years of the worst January bowl, it sounds downright appealing.
The Pinstripe Bowl is looking Pitt’s way because of the match-up they could create.
Pinstripe Bowl executive director Mark Holtzman said renewing the Backyard Brawl between Pitt and West Virginia at Yankee Stadium “can be very compelling” for his game.
…
“The question is would it be as compelling for the fans as a Backyard Brawl in Heinz Field,” he said. “You sell out for that and then some. The good thing is it’s a drive and Pitt fans are used to driving to New York for basketball.”
The reason, of course, is money. Pinstripe bowl officials believe they can sell out a Backyard Brawl in New York. A meeting of Cuse and WVU would sell well, but not as well.
While the Beef O’Brady Bowl also seems interested, if the Pinstripe were to pass on Pitt. If Pitt didn’t get picked for the Pinstripe, the key to whether Pitt goes Beef or Birmingham would hinge on ESPN.
ESPN owns and controls both bowls. They aren’t concerned with attendance as much as they are ratings. In the Big East, Pitt has been one of the better draws for TV eyeballs. That’s why Pitt had back-to-back showings in the BBVA. Getting people to watch a low-tiered bowl game on a post-New Year is not an easy thing. But even ESPN knows there has to be a little variety.
Of course, getting a bowl bid still requires Pitt to win the damn game.
For me, WVU falls somewhere between those two. They’re like your little brother who you wanna beat in driveway hoops just because he’s an annoying knucklehead. But you don’t hate him. I find myself actually rooting for WVU sometimes (unless they’re playing us). And unless it’s my couch they’re burning, I find all that a little amusing.
But I despise Penn State with every molecule of my being. They’re like the bad neighbor who calls the cops on your BBQ party because your guest parked an inch into his driveway, or lets his dog poop in your yard, or swipes your morning paper.
I can’t root for Penn State to save my life. I hate their snobbery, their tired boring unis, their chants, the cult mentality including the (barely hidden) literal worship of a child molester’s protector. To those that have never experienced it: trust me, nothing feels better than knocking them down a peg by beating them, especially in State College.
Good clean hate, like Woody Hayes calling it “that state up north” and Brady Hoke calling them just “Ohio.” Speaking of filthy schools that I hate and cannot root for, let’s add the Bugeyes to that list too.
Screw Penn State.
Forever.
Wow. Your post gave me chills. Yes. Totally Agree!
No way they should EVER be in a BCS Bowl !
And yes Bring out the small knife for the Bulls.
Exactly the way I feel Imma man
I have on occassion rooted for the Hoopies, ikr and it wasn’t because I had a bet on the game.
But no matter whoever Ped State & Ohio Fake are playing, I root for the other team.
As ALL loyal PITT alumni do ! lol
P.S. we forgive the Rev. since he is in Columbus
and we understand.
God Bless your Great Grandfather. A GREAT PITT ALUM!
Now I understand the theory of how gravity is suppossedly produced due to mass attracting mass and that the huge mass of a heavenly body like the planet Earth would thus produces it’s own gravitational field. But all Pitt alumni know the real reason why our feet remain firmly planted on the ground. It’s because penn state SUCKS!!!!
So stop being such a psu hater, they serve a function.
I dry heaved when we lost to ND this year.
No other rival comes close to provoking me like that.
Cuz God luvs PENN STATE.
NO ONE CAN HATE THEM MORE THAN I DO.
NOW REMEMBER: ALL ARROGANCE WILL REAP A HARVEST RICH WITH TEARS.
Since as Chas noted Buffalo is our only road win of the season? (and we desperately need another road win)
Riddle me this……
What do USF & Buffalo have in common ???
(answer at 11 (or thereabouts), lol )
Yes there certainly is a large Mass in Creepy Valley
Now what that Mass exactly is, is subject to debate.
haha 🙂
I still think the “Carson Long and wide” 1975 7-6 loss game was the most difficult loss as a fan of any I’ve ever had, and Pitt’s worst loss ever at any sport. I can still see Gordon Jones catching a psss late in the game and running for a TD with only one solitary Nittany “Pig” Safety laying on the ground to stop him and instead of going around, he tried to jump over him and of course fell down on contact. We missed 3 point blank FG’s and an extra point that night and other than the score, totally dominaed PSU
WVU annoys me like an insect crawling up my wall.
To me, our arch rival will always be Penn State.
Also, Pitt is considered public but for all intents and purposes they are private. What percentage of funds does Ga Tech receive from the state? Pitt’s share is less than 10 percent and will soon be zero. Pitt fits like a glove in the ACC and so does Ga Tech. If they leave, they are stupid.
