WVU Football Announces Replacement Opponents; Why No ‘Brawl’ Explained

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In addition to removing Alabama from their upcoming schedules, the WVU football program also announced replacements games for both 2026 and 2027.

Replacing the Crimson Tide on WVU’s future football schedule will be Coastal Carolina and Southern Miss. West Virginia will host Coastal Carolina on Sept. 5, 2026 and Southern Miss on Sept 4, 2027.

The Mountaineers last played Coastal Carolina in 2010 and hold a 1-0 advantage in the series. The contest against Southern Miss will be the first meeting between the two schools.

Alabama was scheduled to visit Milan Puskar Stadium on Sept. 5, 2026, while the Mountaineers were to play in Tuscaloosa on Sept. 4, 2027.

The cancellation of the two-game series enables West Virginia to modify its nonconference football slate to align with a scheduling philosophy that is prominent in today’s college football. The schedule change will result in an additional home game for WVU in 2027 and bring added stability to future schedules.

West Virginia has been one of the few major conference schools to schedule more than one nonconference Power opponent in a season and has done so for the last seven years. Conducive to reaching and advancing in the new CFP format, today’s nonconference scheduling approach for a Power 4 school is to play one Power team, one Group of Six and one FCS opponent. The cancellation of the Alabama series enables WVU to get to that structure in 2026, while adding a seventh home game for its fans in 2027.

“This scheduling philosophy has proven to be successful across college football. It aligns our football program with its competition in terms of potential postseason opportunities and advancement,” WVU Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker said. “I am also aware of the importance of a seventh home game in 2027 for our fans and the huge economic impact it brings to our state, city and tourism division,” Baker added. “Visitors coming to West Virginia are not only critical for state tourism, but also to our local economy.”

For any WVU fan upset about the Backyard Brawl not replacing the Alabama series, there are several reasons why that did not happen.

WVU and Pitt players get into a small scrum late in the Backyard Brawl Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. (WVSN photo/Kelsie LeRose)

In order to continue the Brawl and avoid the upcoming break in the rivalry until its renewed in 2029, West Virginia would’ve had to give up a home game in 2026 or Pitt would’ve had to travel to Morgantown in back-to-back years. WVU also already has Virginia as its 2026 nonconference schedule, making that the Mountaineers’ lone Power Four opponent before Big 12 play.