Backyard Brawl returns for 4 games beginning in 2022

The Backyard Brawl is coming back, but Pitt and West Virginia fans must wait seven years to see it.

Athletic directors Scott Barnes of Pitt and Shane Lyons of West Virginia announced Thursday a four-year agreement, beginning in 2022, to renew one of the fiercest rivalries in college football.

The series will resume Sept. 17, 2022, in Pittsburgh. The schools will alternate venues through 2025, with games in Morgantown, W.Va., Sept. 16, 2023, and Sept. 13, 2025, and in Pittsburgh again Sept. 14, 2024.

Each school is the other's most-played rival, dating to 1895. The series includes 104 games, with Pitt holding a 61-40-3 advantage.

“Pitt and West Virginia have a long and storied rivalry that dates back to the 19th century,” Barnes said in a prepared statement. “I've learned there is a lot of passion surrounding this game, and we're pleased to be able to rekindle that history.”

Barnes and Lyons, both of whom were hired this year, prioritized the renewal of the rivalry. The game most recently was played in 2011 in Morgantown — a 21-20 West Virginia victory — before it disappeared when West Virginia entered the Big 12 in 2012 and Pitt joined the ACC a year later.

Prior to 2012, the schools had met in football every season since 1943.

“I think this is a very exciting announcement for all of college football,” Lyons said. “We all know how conference realignment ended some longstanding rivalries, which have made the sport so special. Today, we are able to bring back one of the oldest rivalries in college football.

“Scheduling this game was a priority, and I want to thank Pitt athletic director Scott Barnes for his commitment to renewing this series, which I believe is great for both schools. With the two universities being in different conferences, it was hard to find dates that worked for both, but we were able to accomplish our goal and come away with a four-game series. All of college football will look forward to the return of the Backyard Brawl in 2022.”

Barnes, who replaced Steve Pederson as Pitt's athletic director in April, said the interruption of several traditional rivalries nationwide has become “an unfortunate byproduct” of conference realignment.

He said negotiations to extend the Penn State series beyond 2019 are continuing. Pitt and Penn State are scheduled to renew their rivalry next season at Heinz Field with the first of four games in four years.

Penn State is Pitt's second-most played rival (96 games), but Barnes said the Nittany Lions have scheduling conflicts into the next decade.

“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,” Barnes said. “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.”

Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.