After 12 years, did you expect Pitt to develop stronger ACC rivalries by now?

[HailToPitt725]

I wasn’t on these message boards at the time, but I recall my circle of Pitt fans speculating whether we’d develop new rivalries in the ACC.

For instance, there was a sense that Virginia Tech had the potential to become our new biggest rival after our previous matchups in the Big East, along with Miami to a certain extent. As for Syracuse, I think the feeling was pretty neutral in terms of our existing “rivalry” intensifying in football.

Have the series gone about as expected or have they exceeded/fallen short of your expectations? Were there any other schools you thought we’d develop a better history with by now?

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Not really. I thought Pitt/Md had a chance to be a good rivalry. Pitt/VT died down. Pitt/Syr isnt a rivalry as much as it is 2 teams who happen to play every year. Thought Pitt/UNC has developed into something but mainly because their constant beating of us makes us not like them

 

[HailToPitt725]

Not really. I thought Pitt/Md had a chance to be a good rivalry. Pitt/VT died down. Pitt/Syr isnt a rivalry as much as it is 2 teams who happen to play every year. Thought Pitt/UNC has developed into something but mainly because their constant beating of us makes us not like them

It’s a shame the Pitt/Maryland series never got a chance to take off. When we were still living back east, that would’ve been a fun road trip to make. I also agree with UNC

Funny enough, a series I’ve been pleasantly surprised with is Clemson. If you told me we’d be tied 2-2 and we’d each have an ACC Championship, I’m not sure I would’ve believed you.

 

[Dointhatrag]

Visiting other ACC message boards there is a significant amount of dislike for Pitt teams that you get from developing rivalries. Its not that they are calling us posers, but have a true desire to beat us. See this with Virginia, Clemson, UNC

 

[cbpitt2]

So PItt is unrivaled?

 

[pittdan77]

Visiting other ACC message boards there is a significant amount of dislike for Pitt teams that you get from developing rivalries. Its not that they are calling us posers, but have a true desire to beat us. See this with Virginia, Clemson, UNC

I see that but it's not like any of those feel like the Hoopies.

 

[ChiefJusticeMarshall]

I thought VT would evolve, but it was nowhere what it was back in the Big East.

 

[buckage]

I see that but it's not like any of those feel like the Hoopies.

To be fair, nothing will feel like WVU. They THE rivals for us.

As for ACC, I would say Miami and VT are the closest, followed by UNC.

Like others said, I think Maryland could have been a really good bball and fball rivalry.

 

[ThePanthers]

I thought VT would evolve, but it was nowhere what it was back in the Big East.

This was my feeling. But like you said, just never really felt like a "rival".

I miss the Hoopies. I know we play them now OOC, but nothing was better than playing them in conference in the Big East days, both in hoops and FB.

The only other team I felt we had a budding "competitive feud" if you will, but not a rival, was UNC in football. A lot of close games.

 

[Las Panteras]

There is no second place in a rivalry. We had a legit rival in WVU and i personally hope we will again someday.

But losing that....and trying to manufacture a new one just doesn't work.

If it did..... I suspect the OP wouldnt have brought it up.

 

[DruidTM]

I thought VT would evolve, but it was nowhere what it was back in the Big East.

Why ? Because we beat them most of the time now?

I think the hatred is fairly strong… they sure seemed primed to beat us last year

 

[Pitt2009]

Duke since we are both academic elites. Guess it will just have to be Stanford.

 

[Burgh15]

VT didn't carry over because the two teams didn't play enough meaningful games throughout the years. To establish rivalries it either needs to be a strong geographic connection where it is neighbor against neighbor or two teams competing for division leads or conference championships each year.

 

[cbpitt2]

VT didn't carry over because the two teams didn't play enough meaningful games throughout the years. To establish rivalries it either needs to be a strong geographic connection where it is neighbor against neighbor or two teams competing for division leads or conference championships each year.

Notre Dame-USC?

 

[RaleighPittFan]

I wasn’t on these message boards at the time, but I recall my circle of Pitt fans speculating whether we’d develop new rivalries in the ACC.

For instance, there was a sense that Virginia Tech had the potential to become our new biggest rival after our previous matchups in the Big East, along with Miami to a certain extent. As for Syracuse, I think the feeling was pretty neutral in terms of our existing “rivalry” intensifying in football.

Have the series gone about as expected or have they exceeded/fallen short of your expectations? Were there any other schools you thought we’d develop a better history with by now?

I didn’t expect any meaningful rivalry games to develop.

VPI was starting to develop when we were both in The Big East. That was only because UVA wasn’t in the same conference.

None of the Carolina schools were ever going to be elevated to rival status, because their rivals were already in conference.

Clemson and Pitt didn’t play often enough to even consider the chance. Same with FSU. Even with more frequent games, the chance was minimal.

On paper, Miami should have been an opportunity, with the history going back to the independent days. In reality, Pitt didn’t win enough of the matchups to ever be considered a rival.

Georgia Tech is the one ACC school that would make sense, but I didn’t expect anything to develop.

As others mentioned, Maryland was a hopeful rival, but it never had the chance to germinate.

 

[Islanderpanther]

Pitt hasn’t been consistently good enough to build any rivalries….same can be said for most of the other teams in the AcC which as a whole, are the essence of mediocrity

 

[Dan1911]

The rivalries aren’t the problem, it’s college football, itself that’s the problem.

All this realignment and speculation add on nil and kids coming and going like colleges are convenience stores and no wonder why the passion isn’t there. Each year, I’m a little less excited about college football because of all the negatives around it.

 

[Schaef60]

The whole ACC IS UNRIVALED.

 

[Pitt79]

Not really. I thought Pitt/Md had a chance to be a good rivalry.

This^^^ and living in Maryland I was really looking forward to seeing this every year and going to College Park to see them play and talking trash with the various UM fans that I know-probably even attending some games with a buddy who is a UM season ticket holder, then the damn B1G had to step in and ruin that whole thing!

 

[Seneca_Valley]

I didn’t expect any meaningful rivalry games to develop.

VPI was starting to develop when we were both in The Big East. That was only because UVA wasn’t in the same conference.

None of the Carolina schools were ever going to be elevated to rival status, because their rivals were already in conference.

Clemson and Pitt didn’t play often enough to even consider the chance. Same with FSU. Even with more frequent games, the chance was minimal.

On paper, Miami should have been an opportunity, with the history going back to the independent days. In reality, Pitt didn’t win enough of the matchups to ever be considered a rival.

Georgia Tech is the one ACC school that would make sense, but I didn’t expect anything to develop.

As others mentioned, Maryland was a hopeful rival, but it never had the chance to germinate.

You could have stopped after the first sentence. The truth is rivalries are simply not manufactured. We have two natural rivals, or at least had two, till conference shuffling. Maybe ND to a smaller extent. I knew at the time that new rival threads were nothing more than mental masturbation.

 

[HopeandChangeforAntoons]

Pitt/Syr isnt a rivalry as much as it is 2 teams who happen to play every year.

It is wild that two schools that have played each other so many times don’t have more of a rivalry. But when either program has had a run of success the other always seems to be a mess. As a result the games rarely have had much at stake. There also isn’t a lot of geographic overlap of the fanbases. There is no familiarity to breed the contempt. I don’t recall anyone I graduated high school with going to SU. I can’t recall ever working with an SU grad. I can recall examples of MD, VT, and obviously PSU and WVU.

 

[Las Panteras]

Notre Dame-USC?

College football was America's game in the 30's. Pitt was one of the best on the nation as were ND and USC

Both agreed to keep playing and a true intersectional rivalry was born

Absolutely a classic rivalry

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

It is wild that two schools that have played each other so many times don’t have more of a rivalry. But when either program has had a run of success the other always seems to be a mess. As a result the games rarely have had much at stake. There also isn’t a lot of geographic overlap of the fanbases. There is no familiarity to breed the contempt. I don’t recall anyone I graduated high school with going to SU. I can’t recall ever working with an SU grad. I can recall examples of MD, VT, and obviously PSU and WVU.

I saw some amazing stat like the 2 teams have never played a ranked matchup or maybe not in like 50 years or something. They are never good at the same time so its anything but a rivalry. Does any Pitt football fan "hate" Syracuse football? Of course not.

 

[Farnox]

Rivalries naturally form; you cannot manufacture one. All of the attempts in this age of constant change just don't work. I remember when the Nitters joined the Big10 they tried to make one with Michigan State and the Land Grant Trophy. Even today, it's just another game for both teams.

 

[upj87]

I wasn’t on these message boards at the time, but I recall my circle of Pitt fans speculating whether we’d develop new rivalries in the ACC.

For instance, there was a sense that Virginia Tech had the potential to become our new biggest rival after our previous matchups in the Big East, along with Miami to a certain extent. As for Syracuse, I think the feeling was pretty neutral in terms of our existing “rivalry” intensifying in football.

Have the series gone about as expected or have they exceeded/fallen short of your expectations? Were there any other schools you thought we’d develop a better history with by now?

no

 

[Joe Magarac]

No
The slicing and dicing of conferences and TV’s manipulation of the sport has made true rivalries a thing of the past but for a few of the very old rivalries involving teams with gigantic fan bases whose teams are located in the middle of nowhere and having no competition for the entertainment eyeballs.
However, there are exceptions to that condition:
Oklahoma - Nebraska.
Texas - TAMU (for a while, now resuming)
Also some rivalries that don’t fit the condition above:
Georgia - GT
Kentucky- Louisville.
I expect future slicing and dicing and TV influencers to effect those rivalries also

It a new world.
If you are a college football fan, accept the changes or move on. There is no use pining for what “Used to be”.

 

[Usuallyunusual-partdeux]

I wasn’t on these message boards at the time, but I recall my circle of Pitt fans speculating whether we’d develop new rivalries in the ACC.

For instance, there was a sense that Virginia Tech had the potential to become our new biggest rival after our previous matchups in the Big East, along with Miami to a certain extent. As for Syracuse, I think the feeling was pretty neutral in terms of our existing “rivalry” intensifying in football.

Have the series gone about as expected or have they exceeded/fallen short of your expectations? Were there any other schools you thought we’d develop a better history with by now?

Nope

 

[rmf05]

It's a shame Cause and Pitt aren't better rivals. Those games in the late 80's where they were both ranked and still considered elite programs were amazing games on a national stage and then both went into the crapper.

If only we could've scratched out another win or two from NC or Miami. The ACC was begging for those games to start a fire within the conference but pfffft! Just like the BE needed Pitt to put UConn, Rutgers and USF in their place and become a standard bearer with WVU and we always blew it

 

[Pitt79]

Pitt/Syr isnt a rivalry as much as it is 2 teams who happen to play every year.

But I feel rivalry with them in basketball, more in the BE days, but still today as well.

 

[NKSplitter]

Does any Pitt football fan "hate" Syracuse football? Of course not.

I am completely neutral towards Syracuse. I do hate Troy Nunes though.

 

[Dointhatrag]

Neither team has been consistently good in football to create a rivalry. It both were typically (or ever) in the top 25 the last 30 years then these games would have meant more.