The Countdown: 35 days until the ACC

Pitt was a member of the Big East conference between 1991-2013. During that span, the Panthers were conference mates with Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College. Those three schools set the conference jumping trend, and put all the recent moves into motion. At the time, it left the Big East and Pitt's situation in disarray. Now, Pitt and Syracuse will join old time conference mates once again.

And last year, the Panthers played Virginia Tech, scoring 35 points in yet another win over a ranked Virginia Tech team.

Pitt played some memorable games with their old conference mates and hopefully the rivalries can pick right up where they left off. Pitt is in need of a rivalry in the new league, and the old conference members could be just what Panther fans are looking for.

Virginia Tech is quietly one of the most consistent programs in America. Oddly enough, Pitt has given them fits throughout the years. Pitt defeated the Hokies last season, but perhaps Pitt's most exciting win ever at Heinz Field came over the Hokies 31-28 in 2003 with a sold-out College Gameday atmosphere on hand.

Miami other the other hand, has not treated the Panthers quite as well. The Hurricanes used to be among the nation's elite, and typically ruled the Big East. Miami has won 14 out of the last 15 with the Panthers, with Pitt's lone win coming in a memorable upset in 1997.

The Boston College-Pitt series has been fairly even, with Pitt holding a slight 16-13 margin. The Eagles are typically not a national powerhouse, but are fairly consistent. One of Pitt's more memorable games with Boston College occurred in 2004, with Pitt winning 20-17 in overtime, and the victory helped the Panthers land a BCS bid.

It has been nearly a ten year gap between the schools sharing the same league. Still, it should not take long for old rivalries to be renewed. Virginia Tech is still an elite football school, and Miami is always a threat to be. Anytime you see those names on the schedule, it typically will be a big game - and maybe one of those teams will develop into a rival for Pitt.

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