College Football
National Analysts Split on Predictions for Backyard Brawl
West Virginia might be considered a slight favorite over Pitt, but everyone knows a rivalry game can be difficult to predict. The struggle to predict the 2024 Backyard Brawl is even evident when looking at who national analysts think will win the game.
As a microcosm of the view of the country, four members of CBS Sports’ Inside College Football crew are split on who they will win on Saturday.
Aaron Taylor and Randy Cross say the Mountaineers will secure back-to-back wins over the Panthers while Brian Jones and former college football coach Rick Neuheisel went with Pitt.
The Inside College Football crew is split on the Backyard Brawl between @WVUfootball and @Pitt_FB 👀
What do y'all think? pic.twitter.com/BvIXC3DwT3
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) September 11, 2024
Now 1-1 after a a 49-14 win over Albany, the Mountaineers travel north up Interstate 79 to Pittsburgh to face Pitt at Acrisure Stadium. This year’s Brawl will serve as a rubber match for the recent series of the rivalry, with WVU coming off a 17-6 win in Morgantown in 2023.
Pitt enters the game 2-0 and riding high after completing the Panthers’ biggest comeback since 1971 in their 28-27 victory over Cincinnati out of the Big 12.
After Brown leads his Mountaineers back to Pittsburgh to face Narduzzi and his Pitt Panthers on Sept. 14 and they play again in 2025, the rivalry will go on a break for a few years before making another return.
WVU won the 2023 Backyard Brawl as a form of revenge for the 2022 defeat. West Virginia managed to win an ugly game despite losing star quarterback Garrett Greene to an injury early in the game.
On Monday, WVU head coach Neal Brown reiterated what he’s said in the past about the rivalry. Brown referred to the Backyard Brawl as one of the best rivalries in all of sports, and then detailed how the proximity of the schools being separated by only 70 miles and recruiting the same players adds something extra to the matchup.
“We know a lot of guys on their roster. They know a lot of guys on our roster. This is one that’s really important to our fans,” said Brown, who also noted that WVU’s 2022 loss in Pittsburgh is still fresh on his mind.
West Virginia currently sits as a 2.5-point favorite on most major sportsbooks.Kickoff from Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh is set for 3:30 pm ET and the game will air nationally on ESPN2.
For a related story, WVU head coach Neal Brown explained why the Backyard Brawl needs to be played as often as possible.