Pinstripe Bowl could (and should) make Pitt-Penn State renew rivalry 

The Pittsburgh Panthers and Penn State Nittany Lions have a long-standing rivalry that has mostly been put on hold over the past 25 years, with little sign of it being renewed anytime soon. Thanks to Saturday's results, there might be a chance for the intra-state rivals to play next month during bowl season.

Pitt, Penn State could be Pinstripe Bowl options

The situation is mostly simple.

Because Pitt lost to Miami on Saturday, its chances of going to the ACC Championship Game and earning a potential College Football Playoff spot are officially cooked. They are done. At 8-4, they are simply going to a regular bowl game.

Penn State, meanwhile, earned a 40-36 win over Rutgers to bring its record to 6-6 and make the Nittany Lions bowl-eligible. While that is a massive disappointment from where the season began (with national championship expectations), it is still a strong finish for interim head coach Terry Smith and gives Penn State a chance to play a postseason game. 

Where this gets interesting is there is one bowl game that has a tie-in with both the ACC and the Big Ten.

It is the Pinstripe Bowl played at Yankee Stadium in New York City. 

Pitt and Penn State could be options, and putting both teams into that game would be a great way to bring some additional — and, quite frankly, much-needed — juice to an otherwise forgettable bowl game during an oversaturated bowl season. 

Pitt and Penn State have played 100 times in their history, but they have met just four times since the 2000 season. The series had a 16-year hiatus that ended with a four-game series that began in 2016 and ran through the 2019 season with two games in Pittsburgh and two games in State College. Penn State won three of those games with Pitt winning one. There are no future games scheduled, with Penn State having no real desire or motivation to continue it, and Pitt consistently pleading with them to change their mind. 

Now there is a chance for it to actually happen. This season. It would be a great decision by the Pinstripe Bowl and one that could be a rare and must-see rivalry game during bowl season.