Jason Mackey: Different sports and schools — but this week could define Pitt and Penn State in a big way

Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save PITTSBURGH They compete 2 1/2 hours apart, in two very different markets in western and central Pennsylvania.

One plays outside, the other indoors.

The history of the programs is also vastly different, the first with multiple national titles, iconic uniforms and an identity as one of college footballs heavyweights.

The other has been at the forefront of a rapidly growing, exciting sport, an outfit also aiming to reach its first NCAA championship.

Yes, Im talking about Penn State football and Pitt volleyball.

As different as the programs might be, theyre bound by what each will experience this week, perhaps culminating with the Panthers long-stated desire to play for a national title on Sunday in Louisville.

If that happens and dont discount the Nittany Lions own volleyball team standing in the way coach Dan Fishers team will have ultimately overcome losses in the national semifinals in each of the past three seasons, shortcomings that have fueled the Panthers in 2024.

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I just hear them talk about it a lot.

We dont shy away from it.

Before discussing individual matchups another thing separating these two programs its been a similar deal with Penn State, which has gone 1-14 against AP top-five opponents and 3-19 when facing those in the top 10 under coach James Franklin.

The painful losses have piled up, and Nittany Lions fans are understandably sick of seeing their team fall short in big games.

The inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff represents the perfect time to change that, as No.

11 SMU comes to Beaver Stadium on Saturday for a first-round game where the atmosphere should be nothing short of electric.

It's going to be a challenge, and we're looking forward to it, Franklin said Monday.

Guys have embraced it.

We're going to need this place rocking on Saturday.

Im similarly excited to see how this unfolds.

It could feature euphoria associated with seeing two of our local teams accomplish a yearslong goal or the sear of more pain suffered at the hottest point of the season.

For the former to occur, Pitt must beat a familiar foe, while Penn State once again faces the opposite: knocking off an SMU squad new to this level of competition.

Start with Pitts semifinal against Louisville, a team it has already beaten twice this season.

Theres plenty of history, some respectful volleyball disdain, where theyve traded off heartbreaking playoff defeats.

Last year, Pitt rallied from two sets down for a reverse sweep in the regional final at Petersen Events Center.

It was actually the second such blown lead by the Cardinals against Pitt last season.

In 2022, Louisville used a win over Pitt to reach the programs first-ever national championship match before losing to Texas.

This year, Pitt owns a pair of victories, the first in five sets, the second in four.

I believe things will be different, Louisville senior outside hitter Charitie Luper told the Louisville Courier Journal.

"It's hard to beat a team three times.

We're going to have a lot of confidence in ourselves.

We're just going to stick to our game plan and we're going to beat Pitt.

Yeah, good luck with that.

Pitt enters this one 33-1 on the year.

It has been ranked No.

1 for much of the season while leading the country in hitting percentage (.332) and opponent hitting percentage (.127).

The Panthers also have one of the best players in the country in AVCA Player of the Year finalist Olivia Babcock (5.85 points per set, fourth in the country).

The Panthers are athletically gifted but might be most impressive when it comes to their team chemistry, their matches featuring several elements fundamental to sports at all levels: nonstop action and superb skill framed by intensity, honesty and working together toward a common goal.

I hope they get it done.

Its a really good group, and Fisher has built a national powerhouse.

Its about time those efforts are rewarded with something tangible.

Those feelings are similar on the Penn State side and yes, as a proud Westminster graduate, its possible for me to appreciate both teams equally.

Since the CFPs inception, this felt like the Cinderella slipper Penn State needed, a ticket to the postseason for a team that struggled to gain entrance to the Big Tens inner circle.

Ironically, the invite was met with a surprise appearance in the conference title game, a respectable 45-37 loss to No.

1 Oregon on Dec.

7, and now its possible that the real fun starts.

The Nittany Lions draw rocks.

They can beat SMU and No.

3 Boise State and would then likely see No.

7 Notre Dame or No.

2 Georgia in the Orange Bowl on Jan.

9.

But first, of course, comes a rare matchup with SMU.

The only school ...

wait for it ...

that has defeated Pitt volleyball this season.

Its an opponent largely unfamiliar to Penn State fans, in part because the last meeting with the Mustangs came back on Sept.

23, 1978, a 26-21 home win for Penn State, and is one of just two ever.

Unlike Pitt-Louisville, one littered with intel on the other side, this one is mostly new.

It also features two programs on opposite ends of the college football spectrum: Penn State and its appreciation for tradition, SMU and its ability to navigate a jump from the AAC to the ACC due to a crazy reliance on the transfer portal (20 of 22 starters obtained that way).

The way they're constructed is a little bit different than the way we're constructed, Franklin said.

I think they have 48 players from the transfer portal.

We have nine.

As you guys know, we're pro-transfer portal.

We've just not had a whole lot of guys go into the transfer portal and have only taken about four to six a year.

So its different.

Especially when you try to compare football to volleyball.

But over the next few days, as both programs try to erase stigmas that have defined their recent history, its the performance of these athletes whove bought in Pitt seniors whove stuck around to see this through, someone like Penn State quarterback Drew Allar who recently announced his commitment to remain in Happy Valley wholl ultimately determine the outcomes.

Heres hoping both of those glass ceilings go boom.

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