It’s been four years since the last Backyard Brawl between West Virginia and Pittsburgh. The rivalry is going to be dormant for a few more years, but in 2022, it’ll be back for at least four more times.
The two schools have come to an agreement to bring back the 14th oldest rivalry in the United States, which began back in 1895, and has been played 104 times, with Pittsburgh winning 61 of those games (40 wins for West Virginia, three ties). The Mountaineers have won the last three meetings. The Mountaineers are set to visit Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field on Sept. 17, 2022 and Sept. 14, 2024, while the Panthers are scheduled at Morgantown on Sept. 16, 2023 and Sept. 13, 2025.
The changes in athletic directors for both schools (Scott Barnes of Pitt and Shane Lyons of West Virginia are both in their first years at the post) ushered in the return of the rivalry, which was cut off for a number of reasons, including realignment (the killer of many rivalries), with West Virginia leaving the old Big East for the Big 12 in 2012 and Pittsburgh joining the ACC in 2013.
Pitt are going to play Penn State, four time starting next season, but the Panthers hope they can extend the in-state series as well. West Virginia also had a long withstanding rivalry with Penn State, but the two haven’t played each other since 1992. The schools announced on September 19, 2013, that they would renew the series with two games in 2023 and 2024, one each in State College and Morgantown.