Backyard Brawl By The Numbers: How West Virginia and Pittsburgh have Fared Against the Spread
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images. Pictured: Pat White and Jemeel Brady.
The Backyard Brawl is one of the longest running rivalries in college football.
The first meeting between the Pittsburgh Panthers and the West Virginia Mountaineers was in 1906,. Theodore Roosevelt was president at the time.
Since then, the two schools — which are separated by just 79 miles — have clashed 104 times. The Panthers lead the all-time series 60-41-3.
However, it's been over 10 years since these schools have gone head-to-head on the gridiron after both teams departed the Big East.
Now, they'll face each other in the season opener on Thursday night. Pittsburgh opened as a 6.5-point favorite and the line has continued to move in their direction. The Panthers are listed as 8-point favorites at most sportsbooks, as of Wednesday night.
Let's take a look at how these two teams have fared against each other in terms of the spread.
Last 10 Matchups
| Year | Spread | Total | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | West Virginia -7 | 58.5 | PITT 20 – WVU 21 |
| 2010 | Pittsburgh -3 | 42 | WVU 35 – PITT 10 |
| 2009 | Pittsburgh -1 | 48 | PITT 16 – WVU 19 |
| 2008 | West Virginia -2.5 | 49 | WVU 15 – PITT 19 |
| 2007 | West Virginia -28.5 | 59 | PITT 13 – WVU 9 |
| 2006 | West Virginia -10 | 52.5 | WVU 45 – PITT 27 |
| 2005 | West Virginia -14 | 44 | PITT 13 – WVU 45 |
| 2004 | West Virginia -3 | 53.5 | WVU 13 – PITT 16 |
| 2003 | West Virginia -1 | 52.5 | PITT 31 – WVU 52 |
| 2002 | Pittsburgh -3 | 44 | WVU 24 – PITT 17 |
Trends to Note
- West Virginia is 7-3 SU in the past 10 matchups between the two teams.
- The under is 4-1 in the past five matchups and 6-4 in the past 10 matchups.
- The underdog has covered the spread in the past five matchups.
- The underdog is 7-3 ATS in the past 10 matchups. The underdog has won straight-up in six of those seven games.
- West Virginia has been the underdog in three of the past 10 matchups. The Mountaineers have won all three of those games straight up. They are an 8-point underdog on Thursday night.
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