I know, I get it - this is a tired debate. Pitt and Penn State have virtually no shot at playing anytime soon, but with Todd Graham's recent predictable comments about wanting to renew the rivalry, Jeff Junstrom (one of the Penn State writers) and I still revisted the topic over at SB Nation Pittsburgh this week.
Here's a short preview:
Should Pitt and Penn State renew their yearly matchup?
Anson Whaley (Pitt): From a fan standpoint, I think the answer is pretty obvious - yes. Now, I know what differs among fans from both sides is the level of interest each has, but I have a hard time believing either side would prefer to play a I-AA team instead of renewing this rivalry with everything else being equal.
Obviously, the administrators disagree that the rivalry should be renewed. Penn State feels (rightly, by the way) that it makes better financial sense to schedule a two-for-one with other opponents rather than make a home-and-away series with Pitt. I used to fault Penn State for doing that, but I've kind of come around on this issue. At the end of the day, they have to make decisions that are in the best interest of the school. And when you factor in that more money is being made with Penn State sticking to their two-for-one format with other opponents since they sell those games out anyway, then it's hard to argue with not wanting to renew the series.