LUTHMANN NOTE: I understand why a smaller program takes the check. Equipment, travel, and keeping teams on the field cost money. What bothers me is how easily that explanation can become an excuse for expecting nothing better. The players still have to spend an afternoon absorbing the difference between those budgets. Chesney’s record at Holy Cross makes Greg’s argument worth hearing: ambition and good coaching matter even where resources are limited. That doesn’t mean Bucknell should have beaten Pitt. It means the people signing these contracts should also have a convincing answer about how they intend to win in their own league. This piece is “Bucknell Will Do It Again,” first available on NY News Press.
If you were one of the 40,125 on Saturday watching the UCLA Bruins turn the Terrapins into turtle soup, Bucknell was having an even worse afternoon in Pittsburgh. UCLA beat Maryland 54–3, which is bad enough, but Bucknell took the full Pittsburgh monty, 59–0.
As the Bruins were carving up Maryland, I kept thinking about the alternate universe where Bucknell actually chased Bob Chesney Jr. the way Holy Cross did. Chesney did not just flip the lights on in Worcester; he built a Patriot League dynasty, winning five straight league titles and earning three Coach of the Year awards.
Imagine that in Lewisburg.
Bucknell has not won a Patriot League title in 30 years.
Instead, Bucknell is signing up for guarantee-game beatdowns while Chesney is out west turning UCLA into a traveling wrecking crew. Maryland got steamrolled. Bucknell got flattened. And somewhere between College Park, Maryland, and Pittsburgh is the version of Bucknell football that might have existed if they had hired the right guy before everyone else figured out Bob Chesney Jr. was the right guy.
Those smug folks in the athletic department in State College are going to regret not hiring Chesney, too, before this whole story unfolds. They had their chance, they blinked, and now this Pennsylvania native son is out west turning UCLA into a wrecking crew while everyone else is stuck wondering how they let a program changer walk right out the door.
Penn State may not feel it today, but that regret is coming, and it is going to land harder than any corner blitz.
When Bucknell went into Pittsburgh and took a 59–0 loss, it was no mystery, no shock, and no failure of effort. It was what those around the game call a guarantee game. It is the kind of matchup that exists because college football’s financial ecosystem demands it. Bucknell had not played Pitt since October 6, 1945. However, given the economics of modern college athletics, these games are not only more common but necessary.
For Pitt, the motivation is simple. Power Four programs need home dates. They need ticket revenue, concessions, parking, and television revenue. A home game against an FCS opponent is cheaper than a home-and-home series with a comparable FBS school.
You pay the visitor a check, and you move on.
It is called playing the game, financially.
For Bucknell, the motivation is even clearer. Patriot League schools operate on tight budgets by design, and football with limited scholarships and practically no NIL money does not generate revenue. In fact, they lose money but hate to admit it.
Guarantee games become lifelines.
A single payout can fund travel, equipment, and recruiting, and even help support other sports across the athletic department. When Bucknell signs a contract to play Pitt, they are not just agreeing to a football game. They are agreeing to a financial boost that keeps the entire department financially breathing.
The competitive mismatch is baked into the details.
Pitt’s roster is built from three- and four-star recruits, transfer portal additions, and that ubiquitous NIL funding.
For the most part, Bucknell’s roster is built from academically driven players who chose a Patriot League education first and football second. When those two worlds collide, the scoreboard reflects reality.
It is not about pride or toughness.
It is about resources.
So why do it?
Because Bucknell gains more than it loses. The players get to compete in an NFL-caliber stadium. The staff gets exposure. The program gets a check that matters. And the truth is, a 59–0 loss doesn’t change Bucknell’s season. Their goal remains a Patriot League title that includes academics and player development.
In other words, Bucknell is not that affected by what happens on the gridiron against Pitt.
They walk in knowing the outcome.
They walk out with the money and hopefully not too many injuries.
