PITTSBURGH, Pa.-- Almost 70,000 people packed Heinz Field to create the single most watched sporting event in Pittsburgh history. Many of those fans showed up hours before kickoff to tailgate and get fired up for the game.
"All my friends came and traveled from Penn State, my family is here, it's going to be a good time," Lancaster County native Harrison Heise said.
He was one of the thousands of people, who were out getting ready for the game.
People arrived in the 6 o'clock hour to start getting ready for the game. One fan said she waited on the exit ramp in a line of cars, waiting for the parking lot to open.
"I mean this is the 'burgh, we party hard," Sandra Roth, from Pittsburgh said.
She had a spread of food out and ready to go for her fellow tailgaters. According to her, she was up hours before they got there, to get the food ready.
After waiting for 16 years, people were glad to see these once two bitter rivals return to the gridiron.
"It is really exciting to be back, especially being from Pittsburgh," Lauren Cebeck of Pittsburgh said. "It's fun to see both side. We grew up seeing the Pittsburgh side, but we are Penn State fans at heart."
"This is my last semester, so this is pretty much the end all, be all," Neil Debsky of Pittsburgh said.
It's said that time can heal wounds, but fans on both sides of this rivalry shared no love loss for the other side.
"Pitt fans don't say too much because the Penn State fans, there's too many of us," Heise said.
"Obviously, Pitt is the greater choice to make here, but we ought to forgive the Penn State guys too," Mia Amader of Lancaster County said.
For one fan base, this game is bragging rights for the next year, but many seemed to agree having the rivalry return is a win.