Penn State's Franklin: Winning over rival Pitt 'just like beating Akron'

Penn State avenged last season's rivalry loss to Pitt with a 19-point win on Saturday, and James Franklin made sure to provide the exclamation point in the press conference after the game.

"I know last year beating us for them was like the Super Bowl," Franklin said, as per Ben Jones of StateCollege.com. "This was just like beating Akron for us."

The rivalry between the two Pennsylvania teams used to be played on annual basis, but was not scheduled from 2000 to 2016. Last year represented the return of the contest and it did not disappoint, with Pitt winning a dramatic 42-39 affair.

While Pitt gained local bragging rights with the win, Penn State's season was a massive success with a Big Ten title. That finish led to the Nittany Lions being ranked 6th in the AP Preseason Poll. After a 52-0 win over Akron in their opener, Penn State rose to No. 4 ahead of the Pitt matchup.

The hype around Penn State only added further build-up to this year's game, but after Saturday there's no doubt who the more dominant team in the state is, on and off the field.