It's all about ratings. ND is on every Saturday at 4pm if not prime time, as they start every season in the Top 10 on the way to a typical 7-5 season.
Again, from that thread, I think the 5 largest college football fanbases according to a NY Times study was 1) tOSU 2) ND 3) Texas 4) Penn State and 5) Michigan. That doesn't mean most avid because we know the SEC teams, but this is just pure in size and people who identified themselves as fans of.....
What is most depressing is Pitt's region immediately borders on 2 of those fanbases, Another is only 4 1/2 hours away by car and another is interspersed within our own region. It is why Pitt's growth in getting fans is always going to be limited and capped.