Can West Virginia and Pitt Bridge the Gap in the Backyard Brawl Series?

The Backyard Brawl is one of the best rivalries in college sports.

After an 11-year hiatus, the game returned on the gridiron in 2021, beginning a four-game series between Pitt and West Virginia. This year's game in Morgantown marks the final game of the contract, and the next time the two will enter the ring together will be on September 8th, 2029, in Pittsburgh.

Is there still time to schedule a game through the 2026-28 seasons? Yes, but it won't be easy.

Next year, the Mountaineers are scheduled to begin their home-and-home with Alabama. On West Virginia's side, there has been some desire to have that series canceled, but they would prefer not to make that call on their own, as doing so would result in a pretty hefty cancellation fee.

Their best bet is that the SEC officially moves to a nine-game league schedule starting in 2026, which is currently being discussed. If that happens, then there's a good chance the two mutually agree to postpone the series. WVU also has a neutral-site game against Virginia next season in Charlotte, which will not be coming off the books.

As for Pitt, they already have two non-conference Power Four opponents on the docket (UCF and Wisconsin) in addition to Miami (Ohio). They could swap out UCF for West Virginia, assuming the Alabama series gets moved, but the odds of the Panthers being willing to pay that cancellation fee are slim to none.

A lot needs to happen for a game to happen in 2026. As far as 2027 and 2028 are concerned...well...

West Virginia has made it pretty clear that they want to stay away from playing two Power Four opponents in the non-con moving forward. Now, they do have Bama and Virginia in 2026, but Wren Baker saw it as a better opportunity financially and for the team to play UVA rather than play East Carolina on the road.

The road trip to Tuscaloosa is currently scheduled as the season-opener in 2027, so if that doesn't get canceled or pushed back, 2027 probably won't happen either. Pitt has Wisconsin and UConn scheduled, with two spots to fill, so they can make it work.

In 2028, Pitt has UConn and Notre Dame, while WVU is set to open with another game in Charlotte against Tennessee. Getting out of the Tennessee game could happen if the SEC goes to nine games, as previously mentioned, and the Vols want an easier non-conference opener.

The two schools can find a way to bridge the gap in the series, but there are a lot of obstacles to overcome, and perhaps too many for anything to get done.

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