Here's a Gobbler Country piece quoting Oliver Luck as saying he'd like to have Pitt & Va Tech back on the Mountaineers' schedule.

What do Pittsburgh & Virginia Tech fans think? Do your fan bases want this? Is this more of a desperation move to get some games closer to home on WVU's part? They really don't need a tougher schedule now, but I do think they need a schedule that's more fan-friendly, and Blacksburg & Pittsburgh are a lot fan-friendlier than Lubbock and Fort Worth.

Source: West Virginia Wants to Play Virginia Tech Again

WVU needs as many nearby OOC opponents as they can get. Pitt, VT and even Cincy make the most sense for getting a major opponent near enough that their legion of traveling fans can make it to. What's the point of having a lot of traveling fans if your closest rival is 1100 miles away?

WVU has already worked their way back onto VT's basketball schedule this past year. The first game was at WVU. We'll see how they act in Blacksburg this year. If every thing goes well, I would expect to see WVU on future football schedules. I don't agree with it because that's a hole in the schedule that could be filled with Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan, Alabama, Nebraska, LSU, Texas A&M or some other marquee opponent. Currently we only have openings in 2018 and 2019 and one of those should be ND in Blacksburg and hopefully a marquee opponent at a neutral site in either Atlanta or Charlotte to start the season. Other than that we don't have any openings until 2022 and beyond.

Edit : Neither that article or Hokie sports have the 2020 and 2021 Michigan series that was signed last week.

Only if they take a 2-1 with the 2 at Heinz.

I would rather not. I went to the game there in 2003. They aren't rational or decent humans. The "security" there is just to enable them to act however they want without consequence. You don't have to like another person to be a good host. All they would really need to do is ignore the opposing fanbases. They go out of their way to cuss, push, punch, intimidate and throw **** at visitors. I say screw 'em. They can play Iowa State and Baylor every year. We don't need them.

SU and Pitt should take turns opening against WVU and PSU. VT should play WVU once every 4 years or so.

WVU may be seeking games with SU, PSU, Cincy and Louisville as the next tier. Rutgers, UConn, E. Carolina as the third tier, With histories against each team and proximity, they really need these games for their fans.

(05-25-2013 07:16 PM)nzmorange Wrote:  SU and Pitt should take turns opening against WVU and PSU. VT should play WVU once every 4 years or so.

They should be kept on a tight rope, though. They need us WAY more than we need them, so we shouldn't have to put up with Morgantown silliness. If they can't control their fans, then they can have fun playing teams like Marshal, Youngstown State, U of Ohio, and Kent State.

I'm ok with never playing them again, I was at a soccer game at UNC vs WVU this year and their fans may have been even worse than they were at my last football game at Pitt

I hope Louisville never plays them again. I used to really like WVU but as many have already said, 6 years of their fans drove me crazy and I wish them misery.

I have complex thoughts on this.

Let me first say that it has been my experience that the West Virginia fans have come by their reputation as barbarians extremely honestly. Going to a game in Morgantown is definitely a unique experience. It's basically Beyond Thunderdome. I would never bring a child under the age of 10 to a game there. My wife has already told me that she will never go back after our last experience and that's too bad because she LOVES going on Pitt roadies.

The last time we were there, the WVU fans were just plain nasty - saying all kinds of ridiculously over the top insults and even throwing stuff at us. Then, on our way out, one of their inbreds - and that's exactly what he was - sucker punched a guy two people ahead of me as the guy walked down the aisle with his wife and two young daughters (oldest may have been 12).

That's just absurd fan behavior and it's why so many fans of other schools want nothing to do with them.

That said, I am worried that Pitt is basically rival-less in its new league. Also, remember that we're surrendering our formerly annual game with Notre Dame as part of this new configuration. There is something to be said for having a team on the schedule every single year that gets everyone's juices flowing - regardless of how the season has otherwise gone.

For years, those teams were Penn State, Notre Dame and West Virginia - in that order. Now, none of those teams are on the schedule with any degree of regularity and that is definitely a concern.

There have been a lot of rumblings in recent weeks that now that Paterno is dead, Penn State is again interested in playing Pitt every year or most years. If that ever comes to fruition then the WVU issue is basically moot. There is nothing like an in-state rivalry and 99 out of 100 Pitt fans would rank the Penn State series as more important to them than a West Virginia series. However, count me in the seeing is believing camp on the PSU front so if it were up to me, I'd still be playing footsie with the Hoopies.

(05-25-2013 09:51 PM)Dr. Isaly von Yinzer Wrote:  I have complex thoughts on this.

Let me first say that it has been my experience that the West Virginia fans have come by their reputation as barbarians extremely honestly. Going to a game in Morgantown is definitely a unique experience. It's basically Beyond Thunderdome. I would never bring a child under the age of 10 to a game there. My wife has already told me that she will never go back after our last experience and that's too bad because she LOVES going on Pitt roadies.

The last time we were there, the WVU fans were just plain nasty - saying all kinds of ridiculously over the top insults and even throwing stuff at us. Then, on our way out, one of their inbreds - and that's exactly what he was - sucker punched a guy two people ahead of me as the guy walked down the aisle with his wife and two young daughters (oldest may have been 12).

That's just absurd fan behavior and it's why so many fans of other schools want nothing to do with them.

That said, I am worried that Pitt is basically rival-less in its new league. Also, remember that we're surrendering our formerly annual game with Notre Dame as part of this new configuration. There is something to be said for having a team on the schedule every single year that gets everyone's juices flowing - regardless of how the season has otherwise gone.

For years, those teams were Penn State, Notre Dame and West Virginia - in that order. Now, none of those teams are on the schedule with any degree of regularity and that is definitely a concern.

There have been a lot of rumblings in recent weeks that now that Paterno is dead, Penn State is again interested in playing Pitt every year or most years. If that ever comes to fruition then the WVU issue is basically moot. There is nothing like an in-state rivalry and 99 out of 100 Pitt fans would rank the Penn State series as more important to them than a West Virginia series. However, count me in the seeing is believing camp on the PSU front so if it were up to me, I'd still be playing footsie with the Hoopies.

I'm not following the "no rivalry" statement. Pitt will play Syracuse every year which it has played as many times as ND. Pitt also gets to play Miami every year ...a throw back to the Big East days. I still believe the ACC put Pitt in the coastal to form rivalries with UVA and especially Va Tech.

(05-25-2013 10:29 PM)jaminandjachin Wrote:  

(05-25-2013 09:51 PM)Dr. Isaly von Yinzer Wrote:  I have complex thoughts on this.

Let me first say that it has been my experience that the West Virginia fans have come by their reputation as barbarians extremely honestly. Going to a game in Morgantown is definitely a unique experience. It's basically Beyond Thunderdome. I would never bring a child under the age of 10 to a game there. My wife has already told me that she will never go back after our last experience and that's too bad because she LOVES going on Pitt roadies.

The last time we were there, the WVU fans were just plain nasty - saying all kinds of ridiculously over the top insults and even throwing stuff at us. Then, on our way out, one of their inbreds - and that's exactly what he was - sucker punched a guy two people ahead of me as the guy walked down the aisle with his wife and two young daughters (oldest may have been 12).

That's just absurd fan behavior and it's why so many fans of other schools want nothing to do with them.

That said, I am worried that Pitt is basically rival-less in its new league. Also, remember that we're surrendering our formerly annual game with Notre Dame as part of this new configuration. There is something to be said for having a team on the schedule every single year that gets everyone's juices flowing - regardless of how the season has otherwise gone.

For years, those teams were Penn State, Notre Dame and West Virginia - in that order. Now, none of those teams are on the schedule with any degree of regularity and that is definitely a concern.

There have been a lot of rumblings in recent weeks that now that Paterno is dead, Penn State is again interested in playing Pitt every year or most years. If that ever comes to fruition then the WVU issue is basically moot. There is nothing like an in-state rivalry and 99 out of 100 Pitt fans would rank the Penn State series as more important to them than a West Virginia series. However, count me in the seeing is believing camp on the PSU front so if it were up to me, I'd still be playing footsie with the Hoopies.

I'm not following the "no rivalry" statement. Pitt will play Syracuse every year which it has played as many times as ND. Pitt also gets to play Miami every year ...a throw back to the Big East days. I still believe the ACC put Pitt in the coastal to form rivalries with UVA and especially Va Tech.

I consider Pitt a rival. I don't have any choice, y'all have beat us 4 times in a row.

(05-26-2013 12:03 AM)ChrisLords Wrote:  

(05-25-2013 10:29 PM)jaminandjachin Wrote:  

(05-25-2013 09:51 PM)Dr. Isaly von Yinzer Wrote:  I have complex thoughts on this.

Let me first say that it has been my experience that the West Virginia fans have come by their reputation as barbarians extremely honestly. Going to a game in Morgantown is definitely a unique experience. It's basically Beyond Thunderdome. I would never bring a child under the age of 10 to a game there. My wife has already told me that she will never go back after our last experience and that's too bad because she LOVES going on Pitt roadies.

The last time we were there, the WVU fans were just plain nasty - saying all kinds of ridiculously over the top insults and even throwing stuff at us. Then, on our way out, one of their inbreds - and that's exactly what he was - sucker punched a guy two people ahead of me as the guy walked down the aisle with his wife and two young daughters (oldest may have been 12).

That's just absurd fan behavior and it's why so many fans of other schools want nothing to do with them.

That said, I am worried that Pitt is basically rival-less in its new league. Also, remember that we're surrendering our formerly annual game with Notre Dame as part of this new configuration. There is something to be said for having a team on the schedule every single year that gets everyone's juices flowing - regardless of how the season has otherwise gone.

For years, those teams were Penn State, Notre Dame and West Virginia - in that order. Now, none of those teams are on the schedule with any degree of regularity and that is definitely a concern.

There have been a lot of rumblings in recent weeks that now that Paterno is dead, Penn State is again interested in playing Pitt every year or most years. If that ever comes to fruition then the WVU issue is basically moot. There is nothing like an in-state rivalry and 99 out of 100 Pitt fans would rank the Penn State series as more important to them than a West Virginia series. However, count me in the seeing is believing camp on the PSU front so if it were up to me, I'd still be playing footsie with the Hoopies.

I'm not following the "no rivalry" statement. Pitt will play Syracuse every year which it has played as many times as ND. Pitt also gets to play Miami every year ...a throw back to the Big East days. I still believe the ACC put Pitt in the coastal to form rivalries with UVA and especially Va Tech.

I consider Pitt a rival. I don't have any choice, y'all have beat us 4 times in a row.

Yinzer's post is pretty spot on.

While I think Pitt fans all enjoy the games past and future with VT, Miami and Cuse and are very glad they are on the schedule, there isn't a constant stream of Hokie, Cane, and Orange fans on our message boards simultaneously thumping their chest and thumbing their nose. We haven't played PSU since 2000, and 13 years later, the unofficial interlude to our fight song is still being sung in the student section as "Penn State Sucks!, P-E-N-N-S-T Sucks!" despite the fact the band was instructed not to play that bridge 15 years ago. We are talking about 100 years of Auburn-Alabama type feelings and that isn't easily replaced.

(05-25-2013 10:29 PM)jaminandjachin Wrote:  

(05-25-2013 09:51 PM)Dr. Isaly von Yinzer Wrote:  I have complex thoughts on this.

Let me first say that it has been my experience that the West Virginia fans have come by their reputation as barbarians extremely honestly. Going to a game in Morgantown is definitely a unique experience. It's basically Beyond Thunderdome. I would never bring a child under the age of 10 to a game there. My wife has already told me that she will never go back after our last experience and that's too bad because she LOVES going on Pitt roadies.

The last time we were there, the WVU fans were just plain nasty - saying all kinds of ridiculously over the top insults and even throwing stuff at us. Then, on our way out, one of their inbreds - and that's exactly what he was - sucker punched a guy two people ahead of me as the guy walked down the aisle with his wife and two young daughters (oldest may have been 12).

That's just absurd fan behavior and it's why so many fans of other schools want nothing to do with them.

That said, I am worried that Pitt is basically rival-less in its new league. Also, remember that we're surrendering our formerly annual game with Notre Dame as part of this new configuration. There is something to be said for having a team on the schedule every single year that gets everyone's juices flowing - regardless of how the season has otherwise gone.

For years, those teams were Penn State, Notre Dame and West Virginia - in that order. Now, none of those teams are on the schedule with any degree of regularity and that is definitely a concern.

There have been a lot of rumblings in recent weeks that now that Paterno is dead, Penn State is again interested in playing Pitt every year or most years. If that ever comes to fruition then the WVU issue is basically moot. There is nothing like an in-state rivalry and 99 out of 100 Pitt fans would rank the Penn State series as more important to them than a West Virginia series. However, count me in the seeing is believing camp on the PSU front so if it were up to me, I'd still be playing footsie with the Hoopies.

I'm not following the "no rivalry" statement. Pitt will play Syracuse every year which it has played as many times as ND. Pitt also gets to play Miami every year ...a throw back to the Big East days. I still believe the ACC put Pitt in the coastal to form rivalries with UVA and especially Va Tech.

Syracuse will never be a heated rivalry. Seems to be tons of mutual respect between the two schools. If there was a heated rivalry to develop, it would've happened sometime the past 50+ years.

On another note, I respect the other Pitt fans opinion. Maybe I'll hate PSU more than I do WVU once we start playing them again. But until then, for me at least, WVU is our chief rival. I think down the line VT-Pitt could become a very nice rivalry game. I doubt Pitt will pass Virginia for VT anytime soon but will be heated nonetheless.

(05-26-2013 12:40 AM)ClairtonPanther Wrote:  

(05-25-2013 10:29 PM)jaminandjachin Wrote:  

(05-25-2013 09:51 PM)Dr. Isaly von Yinzer Wrote:  I have complex thoughts on this.

Let me first say that it has been my experience that the West Virginia fans have come by their reputation as barbarians extremely honestly. Going to a game in Morgantown is definitely a unique experience. It's basically Beyond Thunderdome. I would never bring a child under the age of 10 to a game there. My wife has already told me that she will never go back after our last experience and that's too bad because she LOVES going on Pitt roadies.

The last time we were there, the WVU fans were just plain nasty - saying all kinds of ridiculously over the top insults and even throwing stuff at us. Then, on our way out, one of their inbreds - and that's exactly what he was - sucker punched a guy two people ahead of me as the guy walked down the aisle with his wife and two young daughters (oldest may have been 12).

That's just absurd fan behavior and it's why so many fans of other schools want nothing to do with them.

That said, I am worried that Pitt is basically rival-less in its new league. Also, remember that we're surrendering our formerly annual game with Notre Dame as part of this new configuration. There is something to be said for having a team on the schedule every single year that gets everyone's juices flowing - regardless of how the season has otherwise gone.

For years, those teams were Penn State, Notre Dame and West Virginia - in that order. Now, none of those teams are on the schedule with any degree of regularity and that is definitely a concern.

There have been a lot of rumblings in recent weeks that now that Paterno is dead, Penn State is again interested in playing Pitt every year or most years. If that ever comes to fruition then the WVU issue is basically moot. There is nothing like an in-state rivalry and 99 out of 100 Pitt fans would rank the Penn State series as more important to them than a West Virginia series. However, count me in the seeing is believing camp on the PSU front so if it were up to me, I'd still be playing footsie with the Hoopies.

I'm not following the "no rivalry" statement. Pitt will play Syracuse every year which it has played as many times as ND. Pitt also gets to play Miami every year ...a throw back to the Big East days. I still believe the ACC put Pitt in the coastal to form rivalries with UVA and especially Va Tech.

Syracuse will never be a heated rivalry. Seems to be tons of mutual respect between the two schools. If there was a heated rivalry to develop, it would've happened sometime the past 50+ years.

On another note, I respect the other Pitt fans opinion. Maybe I'll hate PSU more than I do WVU once we start playing them again. But until then, for me at least, WVU is our chief rival. I think down the line VT-Pitt could become a very nice rivalry game. I doubt Pitt will pass Virginia for VT anytime soon but will be heated nonetheless.

I like seeing 'Cuse play against Pitt. There's a lot of games invested in the match-up. I don't like losing to Pitt, but I don't hate Pitt. I agree that the chances of it becoming heated are slim. But... it only takes one spark to ignite a fire. IE: Syracuse-Georgetown was nothing special until a certain incident at Manley Field House.

The poll on Gobbler Country shows that 58% of VT fans want to play WV, and 11% more would like to schedule them if it doesn't prevent the Hokies playing other [Big Ten] opponents. I was in the 11%. Point is, only 30% don't want the game at all.

I think previous posters hit the nail on the head - the issue is the behavior of WV fans in Morgantown. Therefore, perhaps a neutral site game might be the way to go - maybe even VT vs WV in Pittsburgh?

Seems like VT-West Virginia would be a perfect neutral site game to play in Washington DC every year. It would help keep the ACC flag planted there with Maryland gone.

(05-26-2013 11:15 AM)WakeForestRanger Wrote:  Seems like VT-West Virginia would be a perfect neutral site game to play in Washington DC every year. It would help keep the ACC flag planted there with Maryland gone.

I like it!

I would hope no ACC member would schedule them in any sport.

(05-26-2013 11:15 AM)WakeForestRanger Wrote:  Seems like VT-West Virginia would be a perfect neutral site game to play in Washington DC every year. It would help keep the ACC flag planted there with Maryland gone.

I think that would help out both teams with recruiting in that area....Then we wouldn't have to bother scheduling Maryland. As a WVU fan, I'd be okay with playing VT every few years in DC.....Maybe even even at Baltimore's stadium?