Good hate is so hard to find. Playing Penn State is important. In the grand scheme of things, they remain Pitt’s primary object of hate. But there is room in my heart to hate more than one team. And a chance to see that hate expressed against the Hoopies on the field once more is a good thing.
It was just a matter of time, and honestly having both schools changing ADs helped this happen. There was more than a little acrimony on that front as well.
Pitt and WVU will play a 4-game home-and home. Pitt hosts in 2022 and 2024. Travels to the godforsaken land of Morgantown in 2023 and 2025.
Here is the Press Release:
For IMMEDIATE Release
September 10, 2015
PITT AND WEST VIRGINIA TO RENEW FOOTBALL RIVALRY IN 2022
PITTSBURGH — The “Backyard Brawl” is coming back.
The series that provided such iconic Pitt moments as “4th and 17” and “13-9” will be played again beginning in 2022.
Pitt athletic director Scott Barnes announced today a four-year agreement that will span the 2022-25 seasons. The Panthers will host the initial game on September 17, 2022, and again on September 14, 2024.
Pitt will play return games in Morgantown on September 16, 2023, and September 13, 2025.
“Pitt and West Virginia have a long and storied rivalry that dates back to the 19th century,” Barnes said. “I’ve learned there is a lot of passion surrounding this game and we’re pleased to be able to rekindle that history.
“We also continue to have productive conversations with Penn State,” Barnes added. “Although Penn State’s scheduling opportunities are limited in the early part of the 2020s, we are hopeful we will be able to expand upon our current four-year agreement that begins next year.
“An unfortunate byproduct of conference realignment has been the interruption of numerous traditional rivalries across the country. Everyone wins when two great series like Pitt-Penn State and Pitt-West Virginia are renewed, especially the student-athletes and fans of college football.”
West Virginia is the Panthers’ most-played opponent with 104 games from 1895 to 2011. Pitt leads the all-time series, 61-40-3.
Pitt’s second most-played rivalry is Penn State with 96 meetings between 1893 and 2000. The series will resume next season when the Panthers and Nittany Lions meet at Heinz Field on September 10, 2016.
For the latest Pitt football news, follow @GoPittFootball on Twitter and Instagram.
PITT-WEST VIRGINIA FUTURE MEETINGS (Pitt leads series, 61-40-3)
September 17, 2022 at Pittsburgh
September 16, 2023 at West Virginia
September 14, 2024 at Pittsburgh
September 13, 2025 at West Virginia
PITT-PENN STATE FUTURE MEETINGS (PSU leads series, 50-42-4)
September 10, 2016 at Pittsburgh
September 9, 2017 at Penn State
September 8, 2018 at Pittsburgh
September 14, 2019 at Penn State
Miami was easier to hate when they were so good and thug laden.
Funnier thing is Holgorsen is talking trash and he won’t even be around to see it happen, especially if he goes 5-7 or 6-6 this year, which is possible. My guess is that they go 8-5 and he lives for another season.
You can’t have more than one rival…or else it is not a rivalry. It’s like Michigan and Ohio State. Who is Ohio State’s 2cnd rival? There isn’t one. They don’t like Michigan State or Penn State, but they aren’t rivals. Who is Michigan’s rival other than Ohio State? Please don’t say USC or ND. Those are just storied programs playing each other. Only room for one rival folks.
Penn State = rival 1
Michigan – Minnesota (Litte Brown Jug)
We had room in the 70’s & 80’s for 3 rivals.
Pedo State
WVCC
Notre Dame
Minnesota at one time was a Big 10 and National Power, better than both Ohio Fake & Michigan.
Off to Penn State tomorrow for a light tailgate on Saturday. Probably won’t go in the stadium, though. Can’t bear the thought of losing to Buffalo!
Hmmm!
National Championships (7):
1904, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, 1960
Big Ten Conference Championships (18):
1900, 1903, 1904, 1906, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1915, 1927, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1960, 1967
They also have the best fight song. (see it’s supposed to be a fight)
Shelby, Cheeryville, Marion & west to Tennessee is my area of NC, I know best. Love the mountains. Not a beach goer.
Proposed to my wife in Shelby at a great little restaurant.
BC/UConn/Syracuse/Pitt/WVU
Cincy/Louisville/Va Tech/Va/Wake
NC St/NC/Duke/Clemson/Ga Tech
FL St/ND/C FL/Miami/Temple
Geez .. sounds like Oakland when the Pirates won the series in 70.
Embrace the hate!! its more fun to hate them than to ignore them.
There aren’t a lot of teams with two storied rivalries and an underrated one with ND as well the way Pitt does.
Its an uploaded video from the 13-9 game. Uploaded in 2007 and still getting comments from both sides.
Minnesota and Michigan is not a rivalry. The little brown jug, the axe handle, the golden turd, it doesn’t matter. Rivalries can’t just happen because we say it or want it. They played alot, so what. Michigan wins 75% of the time and the stats emel sent show minnesota last won something of relevance in the 1960’s. ND is not our rival either although many pitt fans would want that to be true. Ask a ND Administrator and Pitt doesn’t scratch the rival landscape. People/Marketers/Media will say any game is a rivalry to try to drum up business and viewership. Do I detest WVU, yes!! Penn State, I hate with a passion. Just my opinion, of course. Sure, if PSU is not on the schedule, the next best rivalry game would be wvu.
How does it benefit Pitt to play the morgantowners? Noone seems to lay those out? The realities are that morgantowners will buy pitt season tickets and end up putting more butts in our seats. That is how it seems to work and it helps their recruiting, not ours. It will also show in yellow seats for the rest of the games that are part of the package. Have a strategy. This is a bad move, sorry. No reward, all risk. Listened to the wrong advisors on this one….in my opinion of course.
They consider their games against Michigan, USC, Michigan State and even against Purdue (same state) bigger games. Maybe even Navy is a bigger rival. Played them more in most cases. However they’ve play us 27 more times than Michigan.
And Pitt has let their program deteriorate so often thru the years, ND owns almost a 70% winning % against us. And that can squarely be put on the mucketymucks of Pitt.
The game gets national exposure on the tube.
Second,
And it gives us one more sellout at Heinz. The seats the hoopies buy would be empty anyway for most of the other games.
Playing the hoopies in the 70’s and 80’s did’t hurt our recruiting one iota.
And it shouldn’t now, if you have a competent coaching staff with the backing of the admistration
Now let’s turn our focus on the mighty Zips. OC Chaney needs to have a good game calling plays. My advice would be to come out with guns a-blazing. Throw on 1st and 2nd downs early in the first qtr and mix in a trick play or two.
That will set up the run nicely and also the QB switch from CV to NP and back again.
The D needs to stay focused and play fast. The goal should be to shutout the Zips – be better than they were last week. No big plays.
Welcome back T.Boyd and Blair – we hardly missed you in game one because we won – but barely. Show us how good you both are and how much the team needs you both on the field.
Pitt wins 31-23 (the D fails to Zip the Roo)
HTP!
At least WVU fans will show up at the game.
Our mission is to beat the crap out of them. We haven’t been good at that lately.
Would like to see the games scheduled with The Dairy College and Morganstern’s scheduled for the Thanksgiving weekend.
@UPitt – Yeah we’ll be 98 but with that TCU cheerleader, the future Mrs. UPitt, you’ll be too tired to watch – or dead with a smile. :). I’ll still be with SWMBO, sigh.
One of the better lines on here for awhile.
