Many of the Ohio State fans I know try to downplay our annual game against Penn State. Can’t get excited about playing a team that’s been in the league for such a short time, they say. We beat them too often, they say — how can we get fired up about that?

Those Ohio State fans? They don’t live in Pennsylvania.

I will grant those guys one point: Penn State is not Michigan. But in the past 15 years, I’ve come to see the game against the Nits as a very close second, and there is nothing I enjoy more than living in Pennsylvania the week after Ohio State beats Penn State.

Last year’s game was rough. It wasn’t pleasant watching the Nits win their first game in Columbus since joining the Big Ten in 1993. And while I won’t have any kind of sense about how good the teams will be for several weeks, I can say I’m looking forward to getting revenge on Nov. 7, when Ohio State visits Happy Valley.

I’m becoming more and more aware of a pretty decent number of Ohio State fans among my extended Twitter family here in Pittsburgh, and there’s nothing I would like more to get them together — maybe even with a few brave Penn State people — to watch that game. And that’s why we’re calling it a Tweetup, boys and girls — Nov. 7, probably at 8 p.m. (a time has not been set, but if both teams are undefeated in the conference, there’s no way ABC won’t make that the day’s national game), at Ruggers Pub on the South Side.

This won’t be an easy one, my Pittsburgh Buckeyes. If you have what it takes, RSVP at the Ning site, and we’ll see you in November.

7 Comments

  1. I would say from a PSU perspective that this rivalry isn’t yet of the caliber of the old Pitt and Notre Dame ones we had (did I just totally date myself?) but it’s getting close. Would have been nice to be 2 notches ahead of you instead of being you in the preseason rankings…but I’m happy with #8 for now.

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  2. Susan: Yeah, you’ve dated yourself a little bit — but that puts you at about the same age as me, so you’ve got no worries.

    My own preferences aside, the college football landscape around here would be much more interesting if the Pitt-Penn State rivalry would get started again. That was one of the great ones in the game, and it’s a shame for everyone that we don’t get to see it every year.

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  3. Notre Dame was definitely the biggest rival while I was there – my freshman year when they came back from 21-0 to win on the road and we climbed into Beaver Stadium, removed the goal posts and delivered them to Paterno’s front yard…good times. They joined the Big Ten my senior year. While yes the rivalry may be young, I don’t think there is any team in the Big Ten that I would rather beat than Ohio State.

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  5. Fred: Those non-Pennsylvania Ohio State fans I was talking about? That definitely does not include you.

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  6. Jennifer: Not even Michigan? Everyone loves beating Michigan…

    (Thanks for visiting, by the way. Tell Scott I said hi.)

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