West Virginia and Pitt kick off Week 1 of college football season with Backyard Brawl rivalry game

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It has been 11 years since West Virginia and Pittsburgh football squared off, the consequence of a changing college football landscape and conference realignment. 

The two schools will finally renew their rivalry Thursday night at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh with the 105th edition of "The Backyard Brawl." The rivalry dates back to 1895 with Pitt holding the edge in the series 61-40-3.

Pittsburgh quarterback Kedon Slovis, #9, scrambles during their annual NCAA football intrasquad Blue-Gold scrimmage game, Saturday, April 9, 2022, in Pittsburgh. Veteran quarterbacks are plentiful in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season. In all, 12 of the 14 league teams have at least one quarterback with nine or more career starts.  (AP Photo/Philip G. Pavely, File)

Through the years, "The Backyard Brawl" has been one of the more heated rivalries in all of college sports, with the two schools separated by just 75 miles. 

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"There’s a lot of hatred on their end but going to be a lot of hate on our end," Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi said. "That’s what it comes down to in rivalry games."

The Panthers enter Thursday night’s matchup as the No. 17 team in the country, following an 11-3 record in 2021 with Heisman finalist Kenny Pickett leading the way. Pitt will be debuting a new quarterback in week one in USC transfer Kedon Slovis.

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"I think the main thing was you saw the talent last year, and everyone had a great year," Slovis said when asked why he chose Pitt, according to SB Nation. "From afar, I kind of assumed that