Where does it rank on the top-100 list and was any other rival snubbed?
Syracuse Orange 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.
The Athletic recently released this piece titled “Ranking college football’s 100 best rivalries. Who earned the top spot?” In that exercise, Syracuse versus the Pittsburgh Panthers cracked the top-100, sitting at No. 88 overall.
Here is what Scott Dochterman of The Athletic had to say about the Cuse-Pitt rivalry’s place in college football history:
“It 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.”
Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
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’s note: #BRAND) with three ties in those games, which have spanned over multiple moments in time for both programs.
The first matchup that started it all came in 1916, a blowout 30-0 loss for ‘Cuse. 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).
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.
Since then, Pitt reclaimed the upper hand in the rivalry, with the Orange winning just four times (all at home) since 2002.
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.
This is also Syracuse’s most-played rivalry. For Pitt, it’s its third-most.
Between all those games, there’s certainly plenty of crazy moments. Among them, the fourth-highest 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’s a laundry list of them I’m forgetting, but you can find a few of those all-time great moments here.
Is there a case the ‘Cuse-Pitt rivalry should be higher on the list? Here are the other candidates that are above and below this one:
- #93: Williams-Amherst
- #92: Clemson-NC State
- #91: Colorado-Colorado State
- #90: Mt. Union-UW Whitewater
- #89: Maryland-Virginia
- #88: Syracuse-Pittsburgh
- #87: Georgia Southern-App State
- #86: Wake Forest-NC State
- #85: Georgia-South Carolina
- #84: Ohio State-Illinois
- #83: Cincinnati-Miami (OH)
Could Orange vs. Panthers be a few spots higher on this top-100 list. There’s a case to be sure.
On the flip side, this is also one of those rivalries that wins based on number of times played, geographical proximity, surviving multiple “eras” for both programs and general historical context. That being said, when one team has been great, the other has not so much. Check out Syracuse’s and Pitt’s all-time sports-reference pages, and that trend is pretty clear. The late-eighties is pretty much the only multi-year period where both teams ranked in the top-25.
Another question to consider: should any other Syracuse rival be considered for the top-100?
In terms of pure number of games, Boston College is the next-best choice. The Eagles are Syracuse’s fifth-most frequent opponent in program history. But there’s still been only 58 games across 100 years, and neither team consistently both reached their peaks at the same time.
Penn State is another solid choice, but probably not top-100 material all-time material. Neither has played each other since 2013, they’ve had just three matchups in the 21st century and Penn State has largely had the upper-hand historically.
Had they played more, Syracuse-West Virginia is arguably the second-best pick on the board of options for rivals. Close series all-time (34-26 in favor of ‘Cuse), played each other consecutively between 1955 and 2012, close enough geographically and strong interest among the fans when this game did happen.
Lastly, if you’re curious, here are the rivalries that cracked the top-five on the list: from fifth to first, USC-Notre Dame, Army-Navy, Oklahoma-Texas, Auburn-Alabama and Michigan-Ohio State (Ed. note: you can’t be a top 5 rivalry when one school cancels the series).