Pat McAfee easily picks college football's best rivalry name

McAfee's take

Backyard Brawl, no questions asked. I know there's the Third Saturday in October, which matters.... There's the Red River Rivalry, the Holy War, the Egg Bowl, but Backyard Brawl is the one. Two hills of people that love ball and will fight each other.Pat McAfee

The history of the Backyard Brawl

The rivalry between Pittsburgh and West Virginia is one of the oldest in college football. It was first played in 1895 and the mere 75 miles between the schools is probably a significant factor in the intensity of the rivalry. The Backyard Brawl was the first college football game broadcast on the radio in 1921.

Pittsburgh leads the all-time series 63-41-3. The Panthers rolled off 15 consecutive wins in the series between 1929 and 1946. The teams have played the game in some diverse locations over the years, with some of the early games being played at the home of baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates, Forbes Field.

There seems to be no clear indication of where the Backyard Brawl moniker came from, although obviously, the two schools being close together but across state lines probably plays a substantial role. A tremendous number of talented players and coaches have been in the game over the years.

It was likely telling that Nick Saban, who himself hails from West Virginia, vouched for the legitimacy of the rivlary, noting that when he coached at West Virginia, he was part of the Backyard Brawl. But Dan Marino was the quarterback at Pittsburgh, noted Saban, so his experience with the rivalry didn't go so well. Indeed, Saban was 0-2 in the series while the defensive backs coach at WVU.