Neal Brown Hopes Backyard Brawl Continues

West Virginia is one of six schools around the country that will play 11 Power Five schools this season. The Mountaineers have been a handful of schools to do so in five of the last six seasons. Had COVID not shortened the season in 2020, this would mark six consecutive years with Florida State and Maryland falling to the wayside.

The move made by former athletic director Shane Lyons was a response to the College Playoff Football committee’s formula for the top four teams, rewarding teams for playing Power Five conference opponents but also returned rivals Pitt and Virginia Tech back on schedule since the ACC raided the Big East twice in less than a decade, separating WVU from its most heated rivals.

Reclaiming the Black Diamond Trophy from Virginia Tech in 2021 was a proud moment for the WVU football program and retaining it last season on a Thursday night in Blacksburg made the rivalries return even sweeter for the Mountaineers.

The Backyard Brawl kicked off the ’22 season, and it was the first time West Virginia and Pitt met on the football field in 11 years and the 70,622 fans in attendance set an Acrisure Stadium record.

“The Pitt game should be played every year. I think it’s one of the best rivalries in all of college football, and so we should play it every year,” said Brown. However, playing another rivalry game in addition to a nine-game conference schedule, is a tough ask, considering the rest of the college football world never beefed up their schedule, and the toll it takes on the team makes it difficult to get through the season relatively healthy.

“It makes it hard to play those other regional games,” Brown said.

West Virginia will get to a 10-game Power Five schedule following next season with Penn State and Pitt set for September of next year.

There are spots to fill in ’26 with Tennessee scheduled for the season opener before another four-game Backyard Brawl series reappears, and if Neal Brown has his say, Pitt will stay on the schedule in the future and fill the rest of the non-conference slate with home games.

"I think you play that Pitt game, you play a G5 at home, you play an FCS at home and you’re going to play nine league games, which should give you seven home games every year, and I think that’s the best opportunity for success,” said Brown. “I think it’s the best for our fan base to have a seventh home game every year and it allows you to build some momentum early in the year.”

“I’m all in on the Backyard Brawl. I think its great. Those other regional rivalries, I think it’s hard to play both,” said Brown. “Those two games [versus Virginia Tech] were awesome. That was a great home environment here, it was great going down there.”

West Virginia starts the season on the road with an old rival in No. 7 Penn State in primetime, marking the third consecutive season the Mountaineers have opened the season on the road against a rival (Maryland, Pitt).

“The Penn State game, we’re meeting that thing head on, we’re excited about it, but I don’t think it’s the best interest to play both those games in the same calendar year,” said Brown.

Although another round of conference round of realignment, could bring West Virginia's rivals into the Big 12.

West Virginia and Penn State kickoff Saturday September 2 at seven and broadcasting on NBC.

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