{"id":51684,"date":"2025-07-09T15:10:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T15:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/51684\/"},"modified":"2025-07-09T15:10:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T15:10:12","slug":"syracuse-orange-football-the-athletic-says-syracuse-pitt-is-one-of-college-footballs-100-best-rivalries-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/51684\/","title":{"rendered":"Syracuse Orange football: The Athletic says Syracuse-Pitt is one of college football\u2019s 100 best rivalries ever"},"content":{"rendered":"

Syracuse Orange<\/a> football is certainly rich in history, and one matchup is now being labeled as one of the 100 best college football rivalries of all-time.<\/p>\n

The Athletic recently released this piece titled \u201cRanking college football\u2019s 100 best rivalries. Who earned the top spot?<\/a>\u201d In that exercise, Syracuse versus the Pittsburgh Panthers cracked the top-100, sitting at No. 88 overall.<\/p>\n

Here is what Scott Dochterman of The Athletic had to say about the Cuse-Pitt rivalry\u2019s place in college football history:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIt may not have the sizzle of Pitt-West Virginia or the historical impact of Pitt-Penn State, but among long-term eastern rivalries, Pitt-Syracuse is the one that has survived through multiple rounds of realignment.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\"COLLEGE<\/p>\n

Photo by Gregory Fisher\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Both schools have played each other a combined 80 times, with the first matchup coming nearly 110 years ago. The Orange are 33-44 (writer\u2019s note: #BRAND) with three ties in those games, which have spanned over multiple moments in time for both programs.<\/p>\n

The first matchup that started it all came in 1916, a blowout 30-0 loss for \u2018Cuse. Pitt would go on to dominate the rivalry early, with the Orange going just 13-24 through 1983. That included a stretch of 11 straight losses spanning a decade (1973-83).<\/p>\n

Syracuse then went on a win streak of its own in the all-time series, winning 16 of its next 18 games versus the Panthers between 1984 and 2001.<\/p>\n

Since then, Pitt reclaimed the upper hand in the rivalry, with the Orange winning just four times (all at home) since 2002.<\/p>\n

Some other notable facts The Athletic documented include both teams have played every year against each other dating back to 1955. That includes a decades-long stretch were both schools were independent programs, then played in the Big East and now in the ACC. <\/p>\n

This is also Syracuse\u2019s most-played rivalry. For Pitt, it\u2019s its third-most.<\/p>\n

Between all those games, there\u2019s certainly plenty of crazy moments. Among them, the fourth-highest<\/a> scoring game in college football history, Syracuse winning with a shoulder-less quarterback in 2023 and a heartbreaking road loss in overtime in 2018. There\u2019s a laundry list of them I\u2019m forgetting, but you can find a few of those all-time great moments here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Is there a case the \u2018Cuse-Pitt rivalry should be higher on the list? Here are the other candidates that are above and below this one:<\/p>\n