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Tribune News Service
Tribune News Service
Sport
Ron Cook

Ron Cook: In battle for Pennsylvania state dominance, Pitt leads Penn State — for now

PITTSBURGH — Pitt was ranked No. 17 in the Associated Press preseason college football poll Monday, its first ranking in the top 25 of that poll since 2010. Penn State wasn't ranked for the first time since 2016.

Two immediate thoughts:

Pitt is the better team, not just because of the poll, but because it clearly has passed Penn State since it went 1-3 against the school out east from 2016-19, including a 51-6 loss at Heinz Field in 2018. That delights Pitt fans, who still remember Penn State coach James Franklin saying, arrogantly, after the Penn State win in 2017, "This was just like beating Akron."

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