One of the great elements of college football is the history attached to it. And while Pitt has fallen on difficult times, we have a history that should be celebrated and embraced. So I wanted to provide all Pitt fans with actual facts. I am sure many of us (including those of us braving happy valley this weekend) will hear about how great Penn State is. And from the football side, I am not going to dispute that. I can engage with any football fan provided they keep it objective. Where I lose my mind with nitters is when they play the "We are" card and start in on Paterno and success with honor bullshite. So to better equip some of the ignorant, here are some important stats to remember:
National Titles
Pitt: 9
Penn State: 2
Don't allow Penn staters to tell you differently. You play for championships and Pitt claims 9. I don't care when they were or how long it has been. Embrace 9. They will talk about Paterno's record against Pitt, which goes back 4 plus decades, but somehow Pitt isn't allowed to claim their titles. Who cares what Penn Staters think. Embrace 9 and realize 9 is greater than 2.
NFL Hall of Famers
Pitt: 8
Penn State: 6
I admit not knowing how many potential nitters will get into the Hall in the near future, but Pitt has some obvious ones: R. Brown, L. Fitzgerald, D. Revis just to name a few. Shady would also merit consideration if his pace continues.
College Football Hall of Famers (sportsreference.com)
Pitt: 25
Penn State: 23
Consensus All-Americans (sportsreference.com)
Pitt: 44
Penn State: 38
What these stats show is that objectively speaking, Pitt and Penn State have similar football histories, but Pitt edging Penn State in many categories and holding a huge advantage in national titles.
So where does Penn State hold advantages?
Attendance (Phil Steele Magazine)
Penn State fills their stadium to 94.1% capacity and ranks 37th in this category.
Pitt fills their stadium to 67.4% capacity and ranks 91st in this category.
No doubt, I wish Pitt's attendance was better. But if a nitter comes at you over attendance, just remind them that while Pitt's is bad, there are 36 D1 programs that fill their stadium better than Penn State's. Additionally, if they want to brag about attendance (i.e. participation trophies), you have already won this argument.
Recent Win Percentage
Penn State wins these categories, but not by as much as you would think.
Last Year: PSU: 11-3 Pitt: 8-5
Last 3 Years: PSU: 25-15 Pitt: 22-17
Last 5 Years: PSU: 40-24 Pitt: 35-30
Last 10 Years: PSU: 87-42 Pitt: 73-56
Last 15 Years: PSU: 123-67 Pitt: 109-81
Last 20 Years: PSU: 161-89 Pitt: 136-112
Program Overall: PSU: 846-377-37 Pitt: 664-468-37
As stated, PSU wins those categories. No question about it. In a 20 year period, Penn State averages 8.1 victories per year while Pitt averages 6.8. Because victories would be in whole numbers, Penn State averages 1 more win per year than Pitt does from 2016-1997. Not as big of a difference as your Penn State friend would have you believe.
Pitt vs. Penn State History
Penn State: 50 wins
Pitt: 43 wins
Last Meeting: Pitt
Last 3 Meetings: Pitt 2 wins vs 1 loss
Last 5 Meetings: PSU 3 wins vs 2 losses
Last 10 Meetings: PSU 7 wins vs 3 losses
Last 15 Meetings: PSU 9 wins vs 5 losses with 1 tie
Last 20 Meetings: PSU 12 wins vs 7 losses with 1 tie
Penn State has the series lead. Stats don't lie here either. Too bad it won't continue past 2019.
Finally, let's discuss the real reason we love Pitt: academics. If the essence of college is to get an education, Pitt wins the most important category hands down. All information is taken from the Princeton Review.
Acceptance Rate
Pitt: 55%
PSU: 56%
Not only is Pitt slightly more selective, but Penn State has 53,000 applicants compared to Pitt's 29,000.
SAT Scores (Low end and average included)
Pitt: 1190 Low/1285 Average
PSU: 1090 Low/1195 Average
Pitt incoming students have an average SAT score of 100 more points when compared to Penn State.
HS G.P.A.
Pitt: 4.14
PSU: 3.59
Percentage of students with a 3.75 HS G.P.A. or higher
Pitt: 81%
PSU: 33%
It is extremely clear that Pitt is more selective and has a much higher quality student than a Penn Stater. Additionally, this doesn't even take into account the 20+ branch campuses that filter in students to their main campus which would dilute these numbers even further.
So in closing, I hope that Pitt fans take stock in what actual facts tell you. Pitt is superior in almost every element to Penn State, both on and off the field.
National Titles
Pitt: 9
Penn State: 2
Don't allow Penn staters to tell you differently. You play for championships and Pitt claims 9. I don't care when they were or how long it has been. Embrace 9. They will talk about Paterno's record against Pitt, which goes back 4 plus decades, but somehow Pitt isn't allowed to claim their titles. Who cares what Penn Staters think. Embrace 9 and realize 9 is greater than 2.
NFL Hall of Famers
Pitt: 8
Penn State: 6
I admit not knowing how many potential nitters will get into the Hall in the near future, but Pitt has some obvious ones: R. Brown, L. Fitzgerald, D. Revis just to name a few. Shady would also merit consideration if his pace continues.
College Football Hall of Famers (sportsreference.com)
Pitt: 25
Penn State: 23
Consensus All-Americans (sportsreference.com)
Pitt: 44
Penn State: 38
What these stats show is that objectively speaking, Pitt and Penn State have similar football histories, but Pitt edging Penn State in many categories and holding a huge advantage in national titles.
So where does Penn State hold advantages?
Attendance (Phil Steele Magazine)
Penn State fills their stadium to 94.1% capacity and ranks 37th in this category.
Pitt fills their stadium to 67.4% capacity and ranks 91st in this category.
No doubt, I wish Pitt's attendance was better. But if a nitter comes at you over attendance, just remind them that while Pitt's is bad, there are 36 D1 programs that fill their stadium better than Penn State's. Additionally, if they want to brag about attendance (i.e. participation trophies), you have already won this argument.
Recent Win Percentage
Penn State wins these categories, but not by as much as you would think.
Last Year: PSU: 11-3 Pitt: 8-5
Last 3 Years: PSU: 25-15 Pitt: 22-17
Last 5 Years: PSU: 40-24 Pitt: 35-30
Last 10 Years: PSU: 87-42 Pitt: 73-56
Last 15 Years: PSU: 123-67 Pitt: 109-81
Last 20 Years: PSU: 161-89 Pitt: 136-112
Program Overall: PSU: 846-377-37 Pitt: 664-468-37
As stated, PSU wins those categories. No question about it. In a 20 year period, Penn State averages 8.1 victories per year while Pitt averages 6.8. Because victories would be in whole numbers, Penn State averages 1 more win per year than Pitt does from 2016-1997. Not as big of a difference as your Penn State friend would have you believe.
Pitt vs. Penn State History
Penn State: 50 wins
Pitt: 43 wins
Last Meeting: Pitt
Last 3 Meetings: Pitt 2 wins vs 1 loss
Last 5 Meetings: PSU 3 wins vs 2 losses
Last 10 Meetings: PSU 7 wins vs 3 losses
Last 15 Meetings: PSU 9 wins vs 5 losses with 1 tie
Last 20 Meetings: PSU 12 wins vs 7 losses with 1 tie
Penn State has the series lead. Stats don't lie here either. Too bad it won't continue past 2019.
Finally, let's discuss the real reason we love Pitt: academics. If the essence of college is to get an education, Pitt wins the most important category hands down. All information is taken from the Princeton Review.
Acceptance Rate
Pitt: 55%
PSU: 56%
Not only is Pitt slightly more selective, but Penn State has 53,000 applicants compared to Pitt's 29,000.
SAT Scores (Low end and average included)
Pitt: 1190 Low/1285 Average
PSU: 1090 Low/1195 Average
Pitt incoming students have an average SAT score of 100 more points when compared to Penn State.
HS G.P.A.
Pitt: 4.14
PSU: 3.59
Percentage of students with a 3.75 HS G.P.A. or higher
Pitt: 81%
PSU: 33%
It is extremely clear that Pitt is more selective and has a much higher quality student than a Penn Stater. Additionally, this doesn't even take into account the 20+ branch campuses that filter in students to their main campus which would dilute these numbers even further.
So in closing, I hope that Pitt fans take stock in what actual facts tell you. Pitt is superior in almost every element to Penn State, both on and off the field.
