[6] The game often had regional and national implications with the winner often claiming Eastern college football supremacy and its respective Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy.

[10] The trio played annually until West Virginia won its second outright title in 1984 and Penn State was unable to locate the trophy.

With the loss of the trophy and deregionalization of college football, the three-team rivalry increasingly became three distinct head-to-head matchups with little to no connection.

The 1976 game pitted undefeated Pitt, ranked number one in the nation, against Penn State at Three Rivers Stadium on the night after Thanksgiving, November 26.

Pitt's coach Johnny Majors moved Tony Dorsett to fullback for the second half, and the Panthers went on to win 24–7, finishing the regular season 11–0, on their way to a Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia and their first National Championship in 39 years.

Penn State prevailed 19–10 on the strength of one Blackledge touchdown pass to Kenny Jackson, four field goals and a tenacious defense, and was on its way to a Sugar Bowl upset of Georgia, earning its first National Championship.

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.

The last game prior to the series hiatus was played at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on September 16, 2000, when Pitt shut out Penn State 12–0.

Meanwhile, the Penn State child sex abuse scandal was made public, leading to Pitt fans to chant "Joe Knew" as a reference to a conspiracy theory about longtime head coach Joe Paterno allegedly knowing about the allegations but not reporting it to police.

[16] This game was the first of a four-game series from 2016–19, with the teams playing at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2018, while battling at Beaver Stadium in State College in 2017 and 2019.

In the final minutes, the Nittany Lions drove the ball almost within field goal range before going for a deep pass in the end zone.

In late April 2018, Pitt athletic director, Heather Lyke, was reported to have sent a proposal to her Penn State counterpart, Sandy Barbour, regarding a four-game series renewal in 2026.

[23] In a game only fitting for their 100th meeting, Pitt and Penn State exchanged scores in the first half after a delay due to severe weather.

In the waning seconds of the half, Penn State drove the ball into enemy territory and within field goal range.

With less than six and a half minutes remaining in the game, Pitt converted on 2nd and 19 to get the ball to the Penn State 1 yardline, almost scoring in the process.

Kicker Alex Kessman, who had set a school record four 50+ yard field goals the season prior, kicked the ball off the left upright of the goalpost.

The Panthers' defense would hold up the Nittany Lions on the ensuing drive once again, forcing them to punt and giving their offense one last chance to score.

Kenny Pickett's pass would fall incomplete, ending the game and the renewed series (for the time being) with a 17-10 Penn State victory.