Pittburgh and West Virginia, who will renew their rivalry for a four-season run beginning Sept. 1, have added four additional games to the “Backyard Brawl” series beginning in 2029, the schools said Wednesday.
The current home-and-home agreement spans the 2022-25 seasons, with Pitt hosting this year and in 2024. Following a three-year break, the Panthers and Mountaineers will meet each season from 2029 to ’32. Pitt will host the initial game and in 2031.
“Passionate rivalry games like the Backyard Brawl make college football special,” Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke said in a statement. “The extension of this series is exciting to announce given our programs’ shared history and geography. It’s a rivalry that resonates throughout the region and across the country. That will certainly be on display when we renew ties this September at Heinz Field in front of a national television audience.”
The Backyard Brawl is one of college football’s oldest rivalries, as the inaugural game was played in 1895. The 104 all-time meetings (the last occurring in 2011) are the most for either school against an opponent. Pitt leads the series, 61-40-3.