PITTSBURGH — I was walking along North Shore Drive with my brother around 9:45 this morning, just before the lots opened for tailgating.
A couple of Pitt fans were walking up from the riverwalk and spotted a car with what looked to be a bunch of West Virginia fans rolling by with the windows down. They all looked to be about the same age, early to mid-20s. So, the WVU fans poked their heads out the windows as they noticed the Pitt fans and offered their rivals a few choice words.
The Pitt fans responded in kind, watching the car roll away and turn at the intersection. An innocuous bit of rivalry game. But I swear the Pitt fans started walking just a little bit faster after that.
The Backyard Brawl, there really is nothing like it.
It may not have the hype of the Iron Bowl or The Game, but the Backyard Brawl is different. It’s not an in-state rivalry, but it may as well be considering they’re 75 miles apart. The fans care, it doesn’t matter the record or what’s at stake. The fans care. It’s a game that means something to both fanbases. There’s no false sense of superiority from either side.
Pitt and West Virginia just want to play football. It’s not about money or end-of-the-year rankings. It’s about playing football.
“Obviously gigantic, as I said earlier, really, really big rivalry game here,” Pat Narduzzi said Monday. “There’s maybe not many more important rivalry games in the country. You guys can talk about the River City Rivalry. We all know that’s not really a rivalry.
“If you don’t know anything about rivalries, this is the one. This is the one that people in Pittsburgh live for, people down South live for. Again, they have a great football team.”
In the new age of college football, the Backyard Brawl should be played every season. It’s one of the lasting pillars of what makes college football so enjoyable for so many. I know I’m excited to watch the 107th installment in the storied series’ history.
It’s a great day for a Brawl in Pittsburgh. It’s certainly going to be a battle at Acrisure Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. And it might just set another crowd record for a Pittsburgh sporting event.
