The rivalry began a slow death in the 1990s when both schools left the ranks of college football independents and chose to join different conferences . Penn State accepted an invitation to join the Big Ten Conference while Pitt 's football program joined the Big East Conference ( who had rejected Penn State 's application to join by a single vote in 1982 ) where the majority of the school 's athletic programs already participated . The conference affiliations of the two previously independent football programs resulted in fewer scheduling opportunities
Big East Conference
Big East Conference (1979–2013)
Penn State–Pittsburgh football rivalry