Dunlap: Pitt And Penn State Dynamic Now Awesome
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) - Oh, this is so perfect.
Our business --- the sports talk business --- is boomin!
And your business --- the business of being a sports fan in western Pennsylvania --- should be boomin in one regard, too.
"Why do you cover Penn State in Pittsburgh?!?!?"
That's one thing we hear.
"Pitt beat us but we are the better team right now!!!!"
We get that, too.
"Head to head is all that matters!!!!"
That's a line that's used by many.
"Yeah, well, your schedule is terrible!!!!"
We've all heard that one.
Then there are the shouts of "Joe Knew!"
Yikes.
It's contentious. It's quarrelsome. It's confrontational and hot-tempered.
It's Pitt and Penn State, back to where it should have always been --- as a rivalry; the fan bases at the throats of each other and people seemingly on the last nerve of one another.
Oh, college football is so damn glorious.
And this was all made possible, in large part, because they are playing again; Pitt and Penn State are actually gathering on a field of play to square off against one another.
Sure, as we sit here toward the tail end of November with Pitt waiting to see where it will head for a bowl game and Penn State awaiting the Big Ten title game with a faint hope of reaching the highest heights this season, this prickly feeling between the two programs is quite amusing.
But it also has me thinking --- how in the world can we let this go away?
You see, after a 16-year hiatus and then dynamic game this season --- which Pitt barely pulled off at home, 42-39 --- the series will have three more installments. The teams will play at Penn State next season and in 2019 sandwiched around a game at Heinz Field in 2018.
I love these games.
And I love the smacktalk right now between the fans of No. 8 Penn State (10-2) and No. 24 Pitt (8-4) so much that I try to consume just about any piece of it that I can from both sides. It's what divides neighbors and co-workers, it's what makes people kind of dislike their brother-in-law and it's the kind of thing that makes you roll your eyes at a strangers wearing the opposing gear.
Sure, it was sort of like this between Pitt and Penn State fans from 2000-2015 when they didn't play, but it wasn't remotely this ramped up. The pure dislike and truthful disdain they have for one another is real now, not only because they are playing against each other again, but also because both programs are good again.
As a born and raised Pennsylvanian, I love this. I really can't get enough of it right now. It's splendid.
But then I quickly then think about how this will only be a four-year span of heightened animosity --- and, you know what, no matter which team you root for (or even if you're just a neutral observer) it feels like that isn't good enough.
This distaste for one another we are seeing right now is the undeniable truth that Pitt and Penn State should find a way to play every single season.
Colin Dunlap is a featured columnist at CBSPittsburgh.com. He can also be heard weekdays from 5:40 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sports Radio 93-7 "The Fan." You can e-mail him at colin.dunlap@cbsradio.com. Check out his bio here.
