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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/conference-realigner on 2025-09-25 23:01:50+00:00.
Neither has won anything of significance in 30 years and is known for struggling in big games. Neither has a decent uniform and both are very traditionalist brands. Both are big in the Northeast (at least, using the word “big” loosely, they’re both B1G at least). Both are affiliated with institutions with problematic histories in regards to certain issues (I’m not getting into this any further). Both are in small communities for their state, and the fans are mostly in northeastern cities (to the extent that Rutgers has fans). One is The Pennsylvania State University and one is The State University of New Jersey, and Penn State has a longer history of success (though I looked up Rutgers’s history and it’s ever so slightly more impressive than it looks at surface glance).
Living in New Jersey now, pretty much everyone I meet who is a college football fan, especially if they’re not tied to a university, is either a Notre Dame or a Penn State fan. One time I met a Rutgers fan - I checked the calendar, and yes, that date was in fact a blue moon! The biggest differentiator I can tell between someone being a Penn State fan or a Rutgers fan whether they care about college football. Penn State fans seem to love the Nittany Lions, while Rutgers “fans” got a good deal on merch at Wall Mart, or would consider getting back on the bandwagon if the team becomes bowl eligible.
A lot of Penn State’s most iconic players like Franco Harris and John Cappelletti were Italian. I’m not sure about Rutgers’s iconic players. Does Rutgers have iconic players?
When I went last year for the Washington vs Penn State whiteout they also used a lot of Rocky hype stuff which makes sense because it seems like a lot of their fans have ties to the Philly area. I also saw that Martin Scorsese is producing a Saquon documentary adding more fuel to my theory.
Anyhow, I’m sure this is just a generalization and there’s plenty Penn State fans and several Rutgers fans but still, just an interesting observation. Best of luck Penn State bros, beat those quackers please. And Rutgers bros, if you exist, send me a dm so that we can scientifically study you and see if your Rutgers fandom can be experimentally reproduced or if you are just a statistical fluke. Everyone have a nice rest of your week and stay positive.