I know the close proximity played a huge role in the Backyard Brawl. But all WVU's traditional rivalries are currently on hold, except for Maryland, and all have been greatly diminished by realignment. The Brawl is just one of the casualties in all this...

WVU President Jim Clements and Oliver Luck were convinced The BEast wasn't in WVU's best interests without our rivals, and subtracting Pitt and Syracuse greatly diminishes The BEast's presence in the east. The ACC, which almost all of WVU's traditional rivals have joined, had no interest in WVU. That door out of The BEast remained closed, as it has since 1953. The SEC chose Mizzou over WVU, which IMO was a mistake by the SEC. But that door closed as well. The B12 was the only option available to best ensure WVU's future...

WVU's future rivals will be B12 conference foes. They are the ones WVU has to beat to gain a BCS bid, and they're the ones that will help determine WVU's future. But IMO a rivalry is something that develops over time, and WVU has at least 13 years of stability in which to make 'em...