So would you guys be against having Pitt in the Big Ten?
- Thread starter mr.michigan
- Start date
Yes. They don’t bring value to the tv deal and inclusion in the Big 10 can only help them in recruiting.
“Never talked about,” lol. Honestly, you aren't fooling anyone. Find other ways to occupy yourself.
From what I’ve read over the years, that might result in a shortage of workers in the fast food business. That would not be a good thing.
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I’ll bite.
It’s not Penn States job to protect Pitt.
Pitt has made a long series of bad decisions that has damaged their brand and limited their options.
When Paterno applied for Big East membership, with a condition of receiving a disproportionate share of football revenues, Pitt killed the application. Penn State needed the revenue to justify their membership. Pitt thought that the Big East would thrive without them. Pitt was wrong. That damaged their brand.
Penn State later joined the B1G and thereby ended traditional rivalry games with Pitt, WVU and Syracuse. Pitt suffered due to that decision. What was PSU supposed to do, play them all out of respect for the old days? That further damaged their brand.
After 1980 Pitt made a series of bad institutional decisions regarding coach and AD hires. These negatively impacted football and set them on a thirty year decline. That further damaged their brand.
Today Pitt is part of that crowd of teams that are not flagship schools that generate tv dollars thru eyeballs on TV sets. That’s on them.
I wish the old rivalry still existed and we played on the field. That would be good for both teams and college football in the East. That said, the decision to add Pitt, given the economics that drives the mega conference movement, has been made. They will be left out. That’s on them for forty years of self induced brand damage.
It’s not Penn States job to protect Pitt.
Pitt has made a long series of bad decisions that has damaged their brand and limited their options.
When Paterno applied for Big East membership, with a condition of receiving a disproportionate share of football revenues, Pitt killed the application. Penn State needed the revenue to justify their membership. Pitt thought that the Big East would thrive without them. Pitt was wrong. That damaged their brand.
Penn State later joined the B1G and thereby ended traditional rivalry games with Pitt, WVU and Syracuse. Pitt suffered due to that decision. What was PSU supposed to do, play them all out of respect for the old days? That further damaged their brand.
After 1980 Pitt made a series of bad institutional decisions regarding coach and AD hires. These negatively impacted football and set them on a thirty year decline. That further damaged their brand.
Today Pitt is part of that crowd of teams that are not flagship schools that generate tv dollars thru eyeballs on TV sets. That’s on them.
I wish the old rivalry still existed and we played on the field. That would be good for both teams and college football in the East. That said, the decision to add Pitt, given the economics that drives the mega conference movement, has been made. They will be left out. That’s on them for forty years of self induced brand damage.
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The BIG office already asked for my vote a few weeks ago. I voted no. They said they would get back me with the final results in a couple weeks.
Pitt fans - “Why does the Monongahela River flow north? Because West Virginia blows.”
WVU fans - “Why does the Monongahela River flow north? Because Pitt sucks.”
I’m with the WVU fans on that one.
You have asked a legitimate question.
As a college football and Penn State Football fan, I find Pittsburgh to be irrelevant. I care more and have greater interest in power brands like Miami, Clemson and Florida State joining the B1G conference.
Yea this is probably the first time I'm hearing about it. (Sarcasm font)
I think the disproportionate share for PSU was based on gate receipts. Pitt wanted a setup where gate receipts between home and visiting teams were broken down 50-50. That was common into the 1970s but going into the 80s things changed to giving the visitor a fixed amount. Sharing gate receipts would mean PSU (with 80K seats) would be subsidizing Pitt (with 50K seats).
Dollars aside, we gain nothing by playing them. A win is greeted by a massive so what. A loss is greeted by a "holy crap, you lost to Pitt?!?!"
As a wise man once said - beating Pitt is like beating Akron.
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FWIW, I think Pitt will end up in the Big 12 once the music stops.
The Mid-American Conference would be a good fit for Pitt. Opponents are close by and since they play in the Steelers home stadium, they could have Ben Roethlisberger come out and coach Pitt for when they play Miami University of Ohio. That should bring in about 10 to 12 more fans to watch the game.
Its only a matter of time before the big brands say that they want proportionality in revenue sharing. That is the only way Pitt could be invited to the big leagues moving forward. It's purely a financial decision. How much longer are Osu, Bama, GA, UM, PSU etc going to accept NW, Vandy, Rutgers, etc getting an equal share for a no competitive product?
They made their bed 40 years ago and now they can lie in it! You reap what you sow.
So would you guys be against having Pitt in the Big Ten?
Absolutely. Would Michigan fans want Michigan Tech in the Big Ten?
They have no value to the B1G. This is about money period. Same reason Iowa St has no value. B1G already has the area. Besides …. They pissed any chance of support away 50 years ago. They can rot since their irrelevant now
Pitt did not prevent Psu from joining the Big East. As Jim Delaney recently noted in an interview, it was Georgetown, St. John’s, and Villanova who voted against Psu joining the league.
Also, not sure that football revenues had anything to do with Big East membership, since it was not a football league at the time Psu applied for membership in the early eighties.
The Big East wasn't the problem, it was Paterno's proposed Eastern Sports Conference. Pitt and Syracuse were the key players that voted against the plan.
Except, sPitt will claim that they 'won' despite a lopsided loss, and eventually add another season to their bizarre MNC claims.
And a new key chain as well?
Ah yes no teams anywhere have cupcakes put into the schedule, brilliant.
I'd like them in the BiG because I'd like to see PSU have a rivalry game but I don't think it will happen. I think the conference is looking for schools that would attract a larger TV audience.
Is it 9, 12, or 13 claimed/unclaimed national championships ?
Asking for a non-yinzer friend
Beating Pitt is like beating Delaware.
I’m sure we would schedule them if they gave us all home games like UMass and Delaware both do…see how that works?
I'll explain. A game with Pitt is like going to a meeting with your ex-wife who hates you. In the past there were some good times, then there were some bad times then the ex-wife got really bitter. It's best to just leave it all in the past.
Second point is college football is busy sorting itself into the haves and have nots and Pitt is a have not, so no.
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