Could Pitt and Penn State meet in a bowl? Charting potential paths to a postseason matchup - USA Today

The Pitt Panthers achieved bowl eligibility Saturday, Oct. 31, with a convincing win against Georgia Tech at Acrisure Stadium. 

The Penn State Nittany Lions took a step in that direction as well, beating Purdue at Beaver Stadium to even their record at 4-4. With a lackluster November schedule, a postseason berth feels in reach for first-year coach Matt Campbell’s team.

The possibility of a postseason meeting between the in-state rivals now seems like one of the most exciting conclusions to their respective seasons. Neither is meaningfully still in their respective conference races, let alone College Football Playoff contention. 

Adding some urgency to the situation is the 24-team College Football Playoff looming next season that could upend the entire postseason structure and make future bowl matchups more difficult.

Here’s USA TODAY’s look at how a rivalry bowl game could come to fruition between the two schools that last met in 2019.

There is only one direct tie-in between Penn State’s Big Ten Conference and Pitt’s Athletic Coast Conference in bowl season: the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in New York. 

The problem for a possible rivalry matchup in the postseason is that Penn State appeared in that game at the end of last season. Interim coach Terry Smith guided the Lions to a 22-10 victory against Clemson on Dec. 27, 2025.

Bowls rarely select the same team in back-to-back seasons, and the Pinstripe Bowl has never done it in its entire 16-year history since launching in 2010. That doesn’t mean a return visit from Penn State is impossible.

Pitt famously appeared in the BBVA Compass bowl in three consecutive seasons from 2010-2012, and the Pinstripe historically prefers teams from the Northeast when it can get them. It’s just not a strong bet to happen.

The Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, N.C., rotates between Big Ten and SEC opponents for an ACC team every season. This year is the Big Ten’s turn to appear in that game.

Penn State has never appeared in Charlotte, so bowl officials may want to pounce at the opportunity to grab the Lions and their well-traveled fan base in a down year for the Nittany Lions. Pitt, meanwhile, last appeared at the Charlotte-based bowl in 2009, so a return trip could also be attractive from that perspective (though it is worth noting that Pitt played in Charlotte for the 2021 ACC championship).

On paper, this is the most likely potential location where both teams could land. It would help Penn State’s odds to reach at least seven wins to make it happen. 

Every possible option beyond that gets quirky. 

The ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Fla., is historically a Big Ten-vs.-SEC bowl. There’s a provision in its deal where it can theoretically select an ACC team, if the SEC can’t fill its postseason allotment for some reason. No ACC team has appeared there since Duke in 1995, though. 

Beyond that, ESPN has the authority to create desired pairings in lower-tier bowl games, usually between power conference teams that finish 6-6 or worse. This outcome seems less likely unless Pitt loses out the rest of the way. 

Bowl officials also have the discretion to negotiate a desired matchup. In that sense, many different options are theoretically possible, but exceptions tend to be just that. Making one change to the conference lineups can have a ripple effect that is usually easier to just avoid. Neither Pitt nor Penn State are profiling as teams worth upsetting the proverbial apple cart to pair.

It’s a major reason Pitt and Penn State have never faced each other in the postseason, since both joined conferences in the 1990s and broke their tradition of annual meetings. 

Penn State leads the all-time series 53-43-4. The Nittany Lions won three of the four meetings in the most recent non-conference series between the two teams from 2016-19. 

Before that, they had not met since 2000. 

There’s also a chance the rivalry could be renewed in the regular season relatively soon. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said over the summer that the two schools have had “conversations” since Campbell took over from James Franklin in Happy Valley last December.

A window exists to make something happen in 2029 and 2030, so that’s a development to keep an eye on — if the stars don’t align in this coming postseason. 

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