0 Shares Print The regional rivalry between Penn State and Pitt is safe for the foreseeable future. New Pittsburgh athletic director Scott Barnes told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette his first call after taking the job in mid-June was to Sandy Barbour, his colleague at Penn State, to make sure the football series between the Nittany Lions and the Panthers was safe. The two teams had already agreed to a four-game series starting in 2016 (ending a 15-year hiatus), but Barnes wanted to make sure the Keystone State rivals would continue to play each other further into the future. That got us thinking about other nonconference showdowns we’d like to see in the Big Ten for a variety of reasons (regional rivalries snuffed over scheduling conflicts, fun coaching matchups, etc.). Here, in no particular order, are a half-dozen games that made our wish list and some explanation as to why we think they should make your list, too. Nebraska vs. Oklahoma The last time Oklahoma and Nebraska met on the gridiron, the Sooners won a Big 12 championship. AP Photo/Tony GutierrezLast meeting: Dec. 4, 2010 (No. 9 Oklahoma def. No. 13 Nebraska 23-20) The old Big 12 rivals met 86 times during a nearly 100-year span that ended when Nebraska joined the Big Ten five years ago. …
Continue Reading: Big Ten nonconference wish list
