Penn State and Pitt haven’t played since 2019 and have only played five times since the start of the new minimum, and it just might happen again this season.
The Athletic projects the in-state rivals to play each other in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl, scheduled for Dec. 27 at noon in Yankee Stadium.
The Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium was the first bowl game Penn State played in under James Franklin, and if The Athletic’s projection comes true, it will be the first bowl game Penn State plays in the post-Franklin era.
For this to happen, Penn State would have to heat up, and Pitt would have to cool down.
NOT WHAT ANYBODY HAD IN MIND
Coming into the season, Penn State was a national championship favorite and Pitt was off the radar completely. Now, Penn State is 3-5 and Pitt is 7-2, ranked No. 24 in the College Football Playoff. Penn State needs to win three of its last four games to secure bowl eligibility, and one of them, this Saturday’s matchup against No. 2 Indiana, is a long shot.
So the most likely scenario is that Penn State has to win its last three games— Michigan State (away), Nebraska (home) and Rutgers (away), to get to 6-6. This is manageable, considering Michigan State and Rutgers are two of the worst teams in the Big Ten, and Nebraska just lost QB Dylan Raiola for the season.
Pitt, on the other hand, would have to cool down. Right now, Pat Narduzzi’s team is one game back of the ACC lead.
WOULD PENN STATE ACCEPT THE INVITATION?
Photo by Penn State Athletics
Another fair question to ask is if Penn State would accept an invitation to play in a bowl game. With the season already a massive disappointment and Penn State having a lot of players that are either A. Out of eligibility after the year or B. Transferring out as a result of James Franklin’s firing.
The transfer portal doesn’t happen until after New Year’s, but it’s likely Penn State will have its new coach before that, whoever that may be.
With all these factors considered, interim coach Terry Smith told reporters Monday that he sees the team accepting a bowl bid.
“We’re trying to win this week,” Smith said. “As we continue to win, why wouldn’t we want to play football? This is what we signed up to do,” Smith said. “We want to take advantage of every opportunity in front of us.
“We clearly will talk with the players as well. My feeling — based on how they’re performing right now — if we win enough games to get to bowl eligibility, I think they would play. They haven’t laid down yet.”
