City game at the Ack
- Thread starter ratking17
- Start date
Smart move and no brainer. You take a game with an FCS school and now create an event that will draw people and local media attention.
Literally the most exciting thing about this is that slightly less damage will be wreaked on the environment one Saturday. Other than that... well.
So, like, maybe a hundred more people show up than what Albany can manage and Pitt gets roasted for playing the game, regardless of the outcome?
Probably around 2000-3000. Duquesne students plus Im sure the Duquesne Alumni Association will have an event.
To be honest. I just don't get it. I have no love or hate for Duquesne to it's just another Youngstown State, etc... No real upside for Pitt, win or lose.
Oh, well, that's probably worth tens of hundreds of dollars to the local economy.
I like it. On the whole, I don't like FCS games against FBS teams, and I don't think wins should count toward bowl eligibility. However, if Duquesne is going to play FBS teams anyway, it might as well be against Pitt. At least, it will create local buzz, and I've always granted FBS teams a bit more leeway when they're scheduling area teams.
It sure beats scheduling FCS teams that are far away.
It sure beats scheduling FCS teams that are far away.
College Gameday is setting up their platform now in eager anticipation of this matchup.
Oh yeah, sure. I don't know why but I'm sure the city will be geeked. Should we come up with a name for the game? Get t-shirts made? Battle on the Boulevard? Catholics versus Cats? Have a big parade down Fifth from Oakland? Maybe we can get the Tamburitzins to perform with the Pitt band and halftime? So exciting.
Looking forward to the local sports media behaving with righteous indignation for about a week and a half because pitt doesn’t play the dukes every year. Then the media will go back to not caring about Duquesne for the next 50 1/2 weeks of the year.
Duquesne has 8,000 students and 93,000 alumni. It's a no brainer. They should have a sizable allotment of fans.
Here’s a fun discussion:
(I believe) the 2022 URI game was the highest-attended FCS game in the Heinz Field era with 54,667. Who here thinks The City Game surpasses that in 2025?
This is a joke PITT should be embarrassed for scheduling this game. Narduzzi and this administration is making PITT football a MAC school.
There won’t be any extra people there and no media attention
C’mon .
Little chance I'm thinking. I'm also guessing that was tickets sold in 2022. URI numbers were higher because Pitt was coming off an ACC Championship and ranked #24 in the AP and had both WVU and Tennessee on the home schedule.
The problem is there is currently no buzz around the program. There is always an opening game bump, but I wouldn't put money on it being over 54K.
That said, this is a no brainer series to have the Dukes as a regular opponent for the FCS slot. Rotate them with YSU and an random others to play them once every 3 to 4 years. If you are going to pay a team $500K+ guarantee (and $500K is what they paid URI), might as well keep it in the city, and it will draw more local interest just like the hoops version did. Especially since it will be sort of a novelty (in its first year at least). Now Pitt needs to get the hoops version going again because not playing that game has been inexcusable.
Last edited:
What?? It’s the first game of the season, for crying out loud! What are you talking about?
Good. Why the hell give the money to YSU or some other out of state FCS school? If you are going to pay for a game, at least the money stays local.
North Oakland vs The Bluff.... Loser to buy lunch at the Oyster House.
YSU is a real FCS program that we lost too once and almost lost to a 2nd time. No reason to play teams like that. Rotate Duquesne and RMU.
At that rate, get IUP down here. They make Duquesne look like small potatoes.
In 2021 we opened with UMass and had 41k. That was with a team that had some promise. There’s no doubt this game will get more local attention and better attendance. You make it a night game and add some fireworks. This game will draw 50k + which would be a lot more than UMass, New Hampshire, etc.
Not bashing the Dukes but I think the enthusiasm (and $$ in the local economy) for this game is overblown. Not sure if anyone has been to one of their home games but not a lot of attendance. Lucky if they get 2k per game. I wish we wouldn't play FCS schools at all. I'm not sure why some think this will be a bigger deal?
Because playing the Dukes in hoops was a bigger deal than playing any other rando bottom-half A10 team. And so it will be a more meaningful football FCS opponent than any other rando FCS opponent, as the interest in a thread about the game already demonstrates.
Paco, the people on this thread were already going to the game regardless of the opponent. What i'm saying is that there is very little cross over appeal for most Pitt fans and that Duquesne fans barely go to their own home games.
As far as basketball, I could take it or leave it. I went to the City game and it was just another game to me. One that wasn't included in my season tickets. No upside in beating them but a complete meltdown when we Stallings lost to them. I guess because i don't have any loyalty or interest in Duquesne sports makes it just another game to me. Just my take.
It's going to get more local media coverage, just like the hoops game does. Duquesne fans are much more likely to go, just like they are way more likely to go to the Pitt hoops game. It will be a huge deal for the Dukes to play in Acrisure.
Regardless of whether there is any difference in attendance between Pitt playing Duquesne vs Wofford or Austin Peay or UMass or YSU, it certainly will generate more local attention, helps out a school down the street, and frankly, is just the right thing to do.
Similar threads
