Penn State Paranoia: Nits Afraid Pitt Will Take Bradley To Replace Wannstedt

I’m glad Florida’s Urban Meyer resigned today. Penn State fans will now have something else other than Pitt to talk about. Yesterday the SB Nation site blackshoediaries.com was abuzz about Tom Bradley leaving PSU to take the head coaching job at Pitt.

In an article entitled “Why Dave Wannstedt’s Firing Might Not Be So Funny,” fugimaster 24, a blackshoesdiarie web master, wrote the following:

“Now, that's not to say Bradley isn't still a very strong candidate for the Penn State job. However, given his presence and popularity in the Pittsburgh area, even among Pitt fans, it's hard not to speculate that he might be one of the leading candidates for the Pitt job. And if Bradley feels like he'll get passed over for the Penn State job, well, he's never going to get a better opportunity than this.”

Forget about the fact that Steve Pederson wouldn’t interview Bradley in 1996 to replace Johnny Majors. Forget about the fact that Bradley is not mentioned anywhere as a leading candidate for the Pitt job.

Focus on the fact that even though Penn State and Pitt haven’t met on the football field since 2000, Penn State fans keep an eye on us. They regularly post comments about Pitt’s football attendance at Heinz Field, even displaying a photo of a less-than-capacity Heinz Field for the Louisville homecoming game.

Whenever they need a derogatory comment, they reach for Pitt. When Pitt out-recruits them, they make it a feature story.  They are both saddened and in awe of Pitt’s basketball success and they revere Jamie Dixon, Pitt’s basketball coach.

Don’t believe me? Start reading their blogs.

Pitt fans are conditioned now to think little about Penn State. The Nits rarely come up in favorite Pitt sports blogs and other than a comment about the Penn State-Iowa series or Joe Paterno’s endless retirement game, nothing is said.

Penn State has Pitt envy. Since the Panthers and Lions don’t meet on the football field or basketball court, they wish we would just disappear. This season, both the Panthers and Lions were ranked in ESPN's bottom 10. Both squads finished the season at 7-5.

Pitt fans have Pitt basketball to focus on from now until April—great Pitt basketball that is nationally ranked and over-achieves in the regular season.

When Penn State’s football season ends, Nits' fans endure bad basketball that they will complain about all season long.

They know men’s basketball is a revenue-generator, and it pains them to see Pitt be successful. Why then don’t they insist Penn State schedule home-and-home hoops games between us?

The reason Pitt and Penn State no longer play in football and basketball has nothing to do with fans. Fans of both institutions want to see the rivalry reincarnated.

The problem is the administrations at both schools are money-driven, not pride-driven.

If Pitt returns to their schedule, Penn State fans would have real competition with an old rival to talk about instead of checking up on us, always looking for a potential threat or the opportunity for a put-down.

I get the feeling they are spying on us.

It is up to you Penn State fans: make the rivalry renewal happen. Only you can do it. You are going to shell out big bucks for home football game tickets. Insist you get your way.

Remind athletic director Tim Curley of the disrespect you felt when the Big Ten picked Nebraska instead of an Eastern team in the latest expansion. You want payback. Curley obviously didn’t make a persuasive case to Jim Delany.

Joe Paterno was so insistent an Eastern team get the 12th spot in the league he even suggested Pitt.

Your one pretend rival, Michigan State, disappears from the schedule for a few years. You have no real rival on your schedule. What’s going to happen to the Land Grant trophy for God's sakes?

And just to remind you, Ohio State is not a real rival. The Buckeyes do not hate you as much as you would like them to.

Pitt’s athletic director Steve Pederson should open up talks with Penn State athletic director Curley and tell him the Panthers accept the 2-1 arrangement Penn State has offered. Pederson just needs to make sure Pitt gets a lucrative pay-out.

We Pitt fans are silent about the rivalry but we want to play Penn State. So what if two of three games are played at Beaver Stadium? If we win those games, will it matter?

Pitt insisted Penn State play in Pittsburgh 28 straight times between 1903 and 1930.

Do you remember games Pitt played at Washington with no return game? Or two games at Tennessee with no return games? Or how about the 1977 game at Florida? The Gators have never played in Pittsburgh. Those 0-1 and 0-2 games were played during Pitt's glory years of the 70s and 80s.

Pitt beat Washington, beat Tenneesse twice and tied Florida because the Panthers were very good.

Penn State fans are twittering away about Meyer now but when Pitt hires a coach they will get all paranoid again. And if Pederson should hire Bradley…well, football games between the two old rivals might be scheduled on the spot.