Hate runs deep in this rivalry. The West Virginia Mountaineers and the Pitt Panthers have been longtime rivals, dating back to 1895, and the next chapter of this storied matchup will be written on September 13th, 2025, at Milan Puskar Stadium. Read More: Tale of the Tape: 2025 WVU Football Opponent #3 – Pitt
130 Years of Disdain
The “Backyard Brawl” has been played 107 times since the inaugural game on October 26th, 1895. Pitt leads the all-time series by a tally of 63-41-3, primarily dominating the 1930s and 1940s. From 1929 to 1946, Pitt won 15 consecutive games against the Mountaineers, controlling the series both in Pittsburgh and Morgantown. For a long time, specifically from 1919 to 2011, the two storied programs played each other annually.
To add to the flames, both programs are hallmarks in the landscape of college football. Pitt won several national titles in the 1900s under the likes of football giants such as Pop Warner and Jock Sutherland, and WVU is currently one of the top 15 winningest football programs at the collegiate level.
Big East Foes
From 1991 to 2011, WVU and Pitt were members of the old Big East Conference football ranks. Only separated by 76 miles along I-79, the pre-established rivalry escalated when conference stakes were added to the annual showdown. Both teams were declared Big East champs several times each, with WVU having a slight edge over Pitt in said category. The Mountaineers also hold the advantage in the series during the two programs’ time in the conference, with WVU winning 14 of 21 conference games against Pitt.
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One standout moment in the Big East era, one prone to upsetting the Mountaineer faithful, is when Pitt came to Morgantown in 2007 and ruined WVU’s national title hopes by stealing a 13-9 victory in front of a stunned capacity crowd. 18 years later, and that moment is still seared into fans’ memories, whether they want to remember it or not.
That was the last game that WVU Head Coach Rich Rodriguez had donned the old gold and blue, up until his shocking return to the program in 2025. Following a few more meetings between 2008 and 2011, the guns fell silent on a rampant rivalry. WVU had accepted an invitation to the Big 12 Conference in 2012, and Pitt moved to the ACC shortly after. It would be over a decade before these two teams met on the gridiron again.
Rebirth of a Rivalry
On September 1st, 2022, after 3,933 days, the West Virginia Mountaineers traveled north to Pittsburgh to face the Pitt Panthers in the new era of the Backyard Brawl. In front of a recorded crowd of 70,622, a record in Pittsburgh sports history, Pitt prevailed 38-31 in an instant classic. WVU got its much-needed revenge in 2023 with a 17-6 victory over Pitt before falling to the Panthers in 2024 in a 38-34 heartbreaker. The rivalry will take a two-season hiatus after the 2025 meeting, before rekindling in 2028.
The Next Chapter: 2025 WVU Football Opponent #3 – Pitt
The 2025 Backyard Brawl between WVU and Pitt will mark the 108th meeting between the two bitter foes, and it will get underway on September 13th, 2025, in Morgantown. While it will not be the first game back at the helm for Rich Rodriguez in his second tenure with the Mountaineers, it will be one of the most important games of his career. Milan Puskar Stadium will almost certainly be at full capacity when the Panthers come to town. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m., and scheduled to air on ESPN. As always, radio coverage can be found on 100.9 FM The Torch and its nine affiliate stations.
For more opponent histories, return to WV Sports Nation on July 4th for the next Tale of the Tape. The next entry of the series will be on the Kansas Jayhawks, the Big 12 opener for the Mountaineers.
