One of the biggest rivalries in college athletics will be making its way to the virtual gridiron this season, as WVU Esports has announced a partnership with the University of Pittsburgh to play the Backyard Brawl on EA Sports College Football 25.
Registration is open through Sunday, September 1, for any current student at West Virginia or Pitt to enter their school’s online College Football 25 tournament. Each tournament will run from Tuesday, September 3, through Sunday, September 8. The winners from each school will go on to represent their University on Friday, September 13 at 12 p.m. at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh — facing off a day before the Mountaineers and Panthers face off on the gridiron.
“This is a very exciting thing for us to get to do, it feels like an aspect of this rivalry that should have started ages ago,” WVU Esports Director and Varsity Head Coach Josh Steger said. “Now even if Pitt and WVU miss a year of action (in football), we have the esports aspect to always fall back on for students to play each other in.”
EA Sports College Football 25 marked the first EA Sports College Football game in 11 years, and was long awaited by college football fans across the country. After getting to watch the rivalries every year from the stands, fans and students can once again experience the big plays, cheers, chants, traditions, and everything else that makes college football one of the most unique and iconic environments in all of sports.
“We get to extend the rivalry beyond just the players on the field, but also allow the fans and students to be engaged in the Backyard Brawl in a new way,” Steger said. “Now our students can feel like the rivalry is in their hands in some aspects.”
Click here to sign up for the event.