The right call on Backyard Brawl
It’s never too early to talk Backyard Brawl.
Is it?
Yes, we’ve still got four entire seasons to go just to get to when the renewal of the long-standing rivalry between West Virginia and Pittsburgh will happen but it’s still making waves even now.
That’s because the two schools have announced that the game, which was originally scheduled for Sept. 17, 2022 (there’s that whole four years thing again) will not serve as the season opener for each.
The series, which will kick off inside the confines of Heinz Field, will now be played Sept. 3.
And if you ask me, that’s exactly the way it should be.
After sitting through an off-season charged by the renewal of one long-time rivalry in Virginia Tech this past year it’s the only move that makes sense. All of the discussion centered around the long-time rivals meeting on the football field for the first time in over a decade.
No distractions, no excuses – nothing but the game.
While the Hokies had elevated themselves to one of the key rivalries for West Virginia consider that the two teams have played only 52 times and it seems like a blip on the radar compared to the 104 times that Pittsburgh and the Mountaineers have squared off on the gridiron.
I’ve made it no secret that West Virginia and Pittsburgh is a game that needs to be played. And by that I mean if not a real possibility to do it annually, then as much as often. The two teams first met in 1895 and are separated by all of 75-miles along a stretch of I-79.
Fans, unless they’re too proud to admit it, on each side realize the loss this game has left on the schedules for each as well. Don't believe me? The release on this news was one of my most clicked social media items Tuesday.
And for now the two have to bide time in battles on the recruiting trail to see which comes out on top in football.
The games will settle that soon.
There’s too much history, too much shared experiences, too much overlap for a shift in conference affiliation to put an end to the Brawl. A big first step in that was the renewal of the football series for four years from 2022-25 and then of course adding the basketball series back to the slate.
So that’s all positive and a move in the right direction.
Adding the fact that the game is going to serve as the opener for each program now and the focus the entire off-season will undoubtedly be on the history between the two and what the series has meant.
That can’t be anything but a positive for its possible continuation.
I expect the same treatment for this game as was delivered for the Virginia Tech one in the sense that coaches will have an entire off-season to drive home the roots of the rivalry and what the game has meant to the fan bases over the years.
Instead of a week crash course with the distractions of a game slated in mid-September, there is going to be an entire summer spring and summer semester dedicated to an education in the Brawl.
The two teams haven’t played since 2011 and won’t for several more years.
But it’s good to be talking about the Brawl, and the fact it will be played, again.
