Why WVU rivalry is different to me than PSU rivalry

[UPitt '89]

I hate WVU on gameday.

I hate PSU all year round.


I grew up when it was Paterno and Nehlen. Nehlen was a good guy who happened to coach at a rival. Paterno was evil personified.

 

[9nationalchampionships]

I hate WVU on gameday.

I hate PSU all year round.


I grew up when it was Paterno and Nehlen. Nehlen was a good guy who happened to coach at a rival. Paterno was evil personified.

Ditto

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I hate WVU on gameday.

I hate PSU all year round.


I grew up when it was Paterno and Nehlen. Nehlen was a good guy who happened to coach at a rival. Paterno was evil personified.

I pretty much agree.

The Pitt/WVU rivalry is so unique though. Maybe the MOST unique in that it matches 2 P5 schools that are located very close together, both with strong football histories but are light years different culturally and socioeconomically. I dont think there's another rivalry like that.

Only 70 miles apart but its white collar vs blue collar. City vs country. Red vs Blue. Money vs Poverty.

 

[pittmeister]

The difference lies in the fan bases….

PSU fans are snobs, WVU fans are slobs,

PSU fans believe Pitt is beneath them by a country mile. WVU fans wants you to believe they are equal or better than Pitt.

PSU fans are arrogant, WVU fans are delusional

PSU fans don’t care about Pitt, WVU fans care about Pitt A LOT. They want to be Pitt…

PSU are condescending, WVU fans are violent…

 

[9nationalchampionships]

The difference lies in the fan bases….

PSU fans are snobs, WVU fans are slobs,

PSU fans believe Pitt is beneath them by a country mile. WVU fans wants you to believe they are equal or better than Pitt.

PSU fans are arrogant, WVU fans are delusional

PSU fans don’t care about Pitt, WVU fans care about Pitt A LOT. They want to be Pitt…

PSU are condescending, WVU fans are violent…

I think this could be put to music!

 

[HailtoPitt]

WVU allowed the Governor's daughter to receive an MBA without finishing the classes. When it was found out, people lost their jobs and WVU and their alums were embarrassed but they moved on. (Manchin still a POS though)

PSU allowed young boys to be raped by a football coach. When it was found out, people lost their jobs and PSU and the fans blamed everyone else and will never move on.

 

[razzaba]

I pretty much agree.

The Pitt/WVU rivalry is so unique though. Maybe the MOST unique in that it matches 2 P5 schools that are located very close together, both with strong football histories but are light years different culturally and socioeconomically. I dont think there's another rivalry like that.

Only 70 miles apart but its white collar vs blue collar. City vs country. Red vs Blue. Money vs Poverty.

You’ve just described UNC vs NC State too, mostly.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

You’ve just described UNC vs NC State too, mostly.

That might be the closest thing, but being that both schools are basically in the same city, the socioeconomic difference isnt as great as Pitt/WVU

 

[ThePanthers]

I think it is all about when you grew up or went to school.

I remember the PSU rivalry when I was really young, but I was too young to have it really mean anything. By the time I really got into Pitt, and especially when I was in high school, college, and then newly graduated, we were pretty much done playing PSU, and WVU was the conference foe and big rival.

To me, WVU is my most hated rival. I hate PSU, root for them to lose, but I don't get as fired up and excited as I do with us playing WVU. That was always the GAME when I was at those ages, and I think that makes a big difference.

 

[RaleighPittFan]

I think it is all about when you grew up or went to school.

I remember the PSU rivalry when I was really young, but I was too young to have it really mean anything. By the time I really got into Pitt, and especially when I was in high school, college, and then newly graduated, we were pretty much done playing PSU, and WVU was the conference foe and big rival.

To me, WVU is my most hated rival. I hate PSU, root for them to lose, but I don't get as fired up and excited as I do with us playing WVU. That was always the GAME when I was at those ages, and I think that makes a big difference.

Joe got exactly what he wanted when he killed the rivalry.

 

[The Ole Six-Fiver]

PSU football evil transcends the mere sport and spectators. It’s program actually harmed dozens, if not hundreds of children (and lately, women) since at least the late 70s. These are FACTS and no amount of media whitewashing and censorship can change it.

WVU is merely Cousin Eddie

 

[Pitt1975]

I think this could be put to music!

To the tune of Psycho Killer.

 

[BreakingPitt]

 

[kma0043]

Living in northern Pa I always reserved my hate for PsU and Notre Dame. I’m assuming the intense WVU hate is for those living in Allegheny County and points south?

 

[hermdigity]

I can say I might've caught myself cheering on WVU a time or two when they've played Oklahoma or Texas.

If PSU played Thanos for the fate of the universe, I'm cheering for Thanos.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

WVU is a healthy rivalry relationship. Both teams recognize the other as rivals and there is some weird level of respect between the fanbases.

PSU is a narcissist rivalry relationship. They won't ever stoop low enough to admit we are a rival, even though we really are.

I take WVU all day because they engage in it and it's fun.

 

[Las Panteras]

I've come up with 9 reasons to hate WVU.

Or is it 13?

 

[WoadBlue]

I hate WVU on gameday.

I hate PSU all year round.


I grew up when it was Paterno and Nehlen. Nehlen was a good guy who happened to coach at a rival. Paterno was evil personified.

I always liked Don Nehlen too. There were things about Paterno I liked, but over the years it became very clear that a part of him was a still vindictive teenager whose fantasy world could cause a good deal of trouble for those who saw him as godlike.

 

[WoadBlue]

That might be the closest thing, but being that both schools are basically in the same city, the socioeconomic difference isnt as great as Pitt/WVU

Raleigh is nowhere near as poor as WV, and NCSU grads tend to be wealthier than WVU grads. And NCSU is a considerably higher ranked Land Grant AG and Engineering school than WVU.

I would imagine that WVU fans see it as like the Tom Cruise high school football movie All thr Right Moves. WVU is like Cruise's high school, and Pitt is like that rich kid's high school.

 

[WoadBlue]

WVU is a healthy rivalry relationship. Both teams recognize the other as rivals and there is some weird level of respect between the fanbases.

PSU is a narcissist rivalry relationship. They won't ever stoop low enough to admit we are a rival, even though we really are.

I take WVU all day because they engage in it and it's fun.

The funny thing is that PSU does not have a true, blood and guts rival in the Big Ten, and never really can, unless PSU stoops to adopt Maryland and Rutgers over time.