Is the Pitt Game this weekend Sold Out?

[GeneParmesan]

I have family in the Pittsburgh area, I'd definitely surmise it's an issue of having the Steelers in the area as well as the Nittany Lions for college ball. For whatever reason there are a whole lot more WVU fans in the area than there are Pitt fans. It's kind of obnoxious really, it'd be like tons of UCF fans in Tampa.

I don't know what part of Pittsburgh your family lives in or how often you've actually been here but I have lived here for most of my life and that is definitely inaccurate.  

Pitt is CLEARLY the most popular college football (and basketball) program in Pittsburgh and it's not really all that close.  I think the issue is college sports V pro sports in general.  Too many Pittsburghers view college football through a pro-centric prism.  Meaning they don't see the pageantry and tradition that so many of us have fallen in love with.  Rather they see college football as being the minor league version of the real stuff that is played on Sundays.  They look at CFB in the same way that you might look at a AAA baseball team V a team in MLB (please save your Pirates jokes - we have suffered enough).    

As for the college teams, Pitt is the obvious top dog but Penn State is the clear no. two choice.  They absolutely have a strong presence in Pittsburgh and throughout Pennsylvania.  It's not a 50/50 split; it's more like 65/35 in Pitt's favor.  The rest of the state is overwhelmingly pro PSU.  However in Philly as well pro sports are kind and college will always play second fiddle (if that).  In the Northwest corner of the state (Scranton-Wilkes Barre) PSU is no. one team and ND is the CLEAR no. two followed by Pitt and Syracuse as the nos. three and four options. 

During basketball season those Penn State maniacs all seem to disappear statewide.  

I imagine that PSU's popularity in PGH is similar Florida's popularity in Tampa.  I'm sure that UF has a strong presence in Tampa but I would bet that there are more Bulls fans.  Also, as time goes on I'm sure that USF will have a much stronger following than they do now and than the Gators have ever had in Tampa.  Or perhaps Florida State has a stronger Tampa presence than either USF or UF?  I don't know, you tell me.

As for PGH, West Virginia is a distant third (and perhaps fourth behind Notre Dame) for college football fandoms and they don't approach either Penn State or Pitt here on the popularity scale.  Personally, I would say that there are more WVU fans than ND fans but it's not by a wide margin and they are not even close to the two in-state schools.  I imagine they are to us what say, Miami is in Tampa.  Occasionally you do see a WVU flag or a hat or something but it is not very common; at least not in the city or suburbs.  I'm sure it gets more common as you get closer to the WV border.

I do agree that the Panthers' biggest problem is the Steelers.  The Steelers are just so all encompassing in PGH that it is tough to explain unless you have experienced it yourself.  It truly is a Steelers town 365 days a year and that is tough to compete against when you are playing the same sport but at a lower level and much less successfully.  Now the Penguins are also extremely successful and that just makes it tougher for the amateur team to compete for the local dollar.  Don't get me wrong, I too am a DIE HARD Steelers and Penguins fan but their success definitely hurts Pitt.  

[Orlando Bull]

I agree and have been beating this dead horse for some time... the BEast needs to expand to at least 10 teams (North and South Divisions) to fix the annual scheduling fiasco, the regional attendance issues, and the money problems over all. Also the Big East needs to end the Football vs. Basketball feud and kick some dead weight to the curb to get the expansion train moving (i.e. Marquette, Notre Dame, and DePaul).

Also Cincy can not go either way they are a Yankee school... thus we already have a Northern Division and just need Southern Schools... the real question is who to add??  ???

North Division

Cincinnati Bearcats

Connecticut Huskies

Pittsburgh Panthers

Syracuse Orangemen

Butgers Knights

South Division

Louisville Cardinals

South Florida Bulls

West Virginia Mountainqueers

I say we add Memphis and Navy (which is in Maryland) and be done with it.

We also need some trophy games... the Big East is the only BCS Conference where none of its members compete for a rivalry trophy of some kind. Doing this will boost interest in our conference games and will give us a product to market to the likes of ESPN to generate tv revenue.

I don't like Navy, do they "recruit" like normal college football programs? I seriously don't know, in my mind, Navy can recruit anyone, but that person is also enlisting in the Navy? So, it seems to limit their potential. Again, maybe you can go to Navy without being in the Navy? Probably stupid for me not to know that one way or another, but ???

Also, with 10 teams, there is no championship game, so no real need for specific "divisions". It almost has to be 12 so that the winner of each division plays for the conference championship. So, we could add Memphis and make scheduling easier, or add 3 more teams, separate divisions, and add a championship game. Best case, steal 2, add Memphis and ECU-or-UCF. My vote would be Penn State (Joe Pa wants a championship game, so you may be able to get them), and if you have 11, you strong-arm Notre Dame into being all in or all out. You can be our 12th, or you can find another conference for your other sports and continue to see the downward spiral of your football program since recruiting isn't what it once was.

[Kizarvexis]

I agree and have been beating this dead horse for some time... the BEast needs to expand to at least 10 teams (North and South Divisions) to fix the annual scheduling fiasco, the regional attendance issues, and the money problems over all. Also the Big East needs to end the Football vs. Basketball feud and kick some dead weight to the curb to get the expansion train moving (i.e. Marquette, Notre Dame, and DePaul).

Also Cincy can not go either way they are a Yankee school... thus we already have a Northern Division and just need Southern Schools... the real question is who to add??  ???

North Division

Cincinnati Bearcats

Connecticut Huskies

Pittsburgh Panthers

Syracuse Orangemen

Butgers Knights

South Division

Louisville Cardinals

South Florida Bulls

West Virginia Mountainqueers

I say we add Memphis and Navy (which is in Maryland) and be done with it.

We also need some trophy games... the Big East is the only BCS Conference where none of its members compete for a rivalry trophy of some kind. Doing this will boost interest in our conference games and will give us a product to market to the likes of ESPN to generate tv revenue.

I don't like Navy, do they "recruit" like normal college football programs? I seriously don't know, in my mind, Navy can recruit anyone, but that person is also enlisting in the Navy? So, it seems to limit their potential. Again, maybe you can go to Navy without being in the Navy? Probably stupid for me not to know that one way or another, but ???

Also, with 10 teams, there is no championship game, so no real need for specific "divisions". It almost has to be 12 so that the winner of each division plays for the conference championship. So, we could add Memphis and make scheduling easier, or add 3 more teams, separate divisions, and add a championship game. Best case, steal 2, add Memphis and ECU-or-UCF. My vote would be Penn State (Joe Pa wants a championship game, so you may be able to get them), and if you have 11, you strong-arm Notre Dame into being all in or all out. You can be our 12th, or you can find another conference for your other sports and continue to see the downward spiral of your football program since recruiting isn't what it once was.

When you go to the academies, you are signing up for that branch of the military. As I understand it, Airforce and Army will redshirt, but Army will not which is why they are better than Army.

The Big 10+ has been trying to get ND in for a while, which is why the Big Ten hasn't went to 12 for a championship game. IMO, The Conference of Notre Dame will only join a conference if that was the only way to play in a BCS game, ie to play int he BCS, you had to be a conference champ. Unfortunately, for the BE and the Big 10+, ND is really The Conference of Notre Dame due to the sweet TV deals that they can get for football. Look at their inclusion to the current BCS system.

Personally, I think the BE will add ONE team when the conference splits along the FB/BB lines to make a 9 team conference for scheduling purposes.

[Cow Pie]

I don't like Navy, do they "recruit" like normal college football programs? I seriously don't know, in my mind, Navy can recruit anyone, but that person is also enlisting in the Navy? So, it seems to limit their potential. Again, maybe you can go to Navy without being in the Navy? Probably stupid for me not to know that one way or another, but ???

Also, with 10 teams, there is no championship game, so no real need for specific "divisions". It almost has to be 12 so that the winner of each division plays for the conference championship. So, we could add Memphis and make scheduling easier, or add 3 more teams, separate divisions, and add a championship game. Best case, steal 2, add Memphis and ECU-or-UCF. My vote would be Penn State (Joe Pa wants a championship game, so you may be able to get them), and if you have 11, you strong-arm Notre Dame into being all in or all out. You can be our 12th, or you can find another conference for your other sports and continue to see the downward spiral of your football program since recruiting isn't what it once was.

I know Army has a clause that if you are a top tier recruit and sign with them and get drafted into the NFL then you get excused from service on the grounds of being a recruitment tool. I'm sure all of the service academies have this clause now.

I do agree that we need more teams to bring the number up to 12 total or 11 and force ND in as the 12th team but I don't know of any other good teams we can steal.

Penn State is out of the question... Maryland or BC would be more realistic.

[The Great 8]

I don't know what part of Pittsburgh your family lives in or how often you've actually been here but I have lived here for most of my life and that is definitely inaccurate.

Pitt is CLEARLY the most popular college football (and basketball) program in Pittsburgh and it's not really all that close.

Err...I'm in Pittsburgh right now.

I've been in the suburbs and downtown most of the week and I visit often.

There are DEFINITELY MORE people with WVU shirts and logo's on their car than PITT.

I'm willing to concede that both of our evidences are anecdotal, and it definitely gets worse as you get closer to the border it's just odd that you (well, I) see so many WVU fans roaming around within an hour of downtown Pittsburgh.

Believe me, I notice them because I'm into the USF/WVU rivalry but don't feel there is any USF/PITT rivalry. I always give WVU fans dirty scowls as I feel it's my duty as a USF fan hovering near their territory, lol.

Also, I asked everyone in the room (5 people) just for giggles and they all said WVU was more popular here and that it was stupid (I'm in a pro football oriented room).

Take it for what it's worth.

[BurghBull]

I don't know what part of Pittsburgh your family lives in or how often you've actually been here but I have lived here for most of my life and that is definitely inaccurate.

Pitt is CLEARLY the most popular college football (and basketball) program in Pittsburgh and it's not really all that close.

Err...I'm in Pittsburgh right now.

I've been in the suburbs and downtown most of the week and I visit often.

There are DEFINITELY MORE people with WVU shirts and logo's on their car than PITT.

I'm willing to concede that both of our evidences are anecdotal, and it definitely gets worse as you get closer to the border it's just odd that you (well, I) see so many WVU fans roaming around within an hour of downtown Pittsburgh.

Believe me, I notice them because I'm into the USF/WVU rivalry but don't feel there is any USF/PITT rivalry. I always give WVU fans dirty scowls as I feel it's my duty as a USF fan hovering near their territory, lol.

Also, I asked everyone in the room (5 people) just for giggles and they all said WVU was more popular here and that it was stupid (I'm in a pro football oriented room).

Take it for what it's worth.

I live here and I see quite a bit of WVU fans/alumni around.  West Virginia is only 40 minutes from Pittsburgh and the WVU campus is only an hour away, so I assume that many alums/fans  find work in the Pittsburgh area after graduation or they commute to Pittsburgh from their  WV homes. 

PITT problem's is always going to be the Steelers.  At least the Rooneys are nicer than the Glazers.

I hope that USF stays in a conference with both schools so I can see the Bulls play every year.

[The Great 8]

Thanks BurghBull for confirming I'm not crazy.

I'm not sure what world GeneParmesan lives in, but it's not planet Earth because our planet has many WVU fans around the Western PA area.

It's to a degree I haven't seen elsewhere. I'd expect to see Ohio State people around here but there are absolutely zero. Yet, there are tons of WVU fans...? Must be the commuting/relocating WVU people because they WV probably has crap for jobs outside of couch fireproofing related duties.

[MaltLiquorBull]

We also need some trophy games... the Big East is the only BCS Conference where none of its members compete for a rivalry trophy of some kind. Doing this will boost interest in our conference games and will give us a product to market to the likes of ESPN to generate tv revenue.

Cincinatti and Louisville have played for a "Keg of Nails" since 1929--but they're not traditional Big East teams.  I do agree that we need more "trophy games" in our conference.  I guess that happens over time.

[Kizarvexis]

We also need some trophy games... the Big East is the only BCS Conference where none of its members compete for a rivalry trophy of some kind. Doing this will boost interest in our conference games and will give us a product to market to the likes of ESPN to generate tv revenue.

Cincinatti and Louisville have played for a "Keg of Nails" since 1929--but they're not traditional Big East teams.  I do agree that we need more "trophy games" in our conference.  I guess that happens over time.

What about the burning couch game?

p.s. I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist.

[helly]

Much shorter response than the first Pitt fan.... as a Pittsburgher, I can tell you that the game is NOT sold out.  You can still purchase tickets on Ticketmaster.  You can them move around once in the stadium to the USF section.

Also, 70-80% chance of rain on Saturday with a high of 59.  But in the 40's during tailgate and beginning of the game.  It will be cold, rainy, and miserable as fall here usually is - so be prepared.