West Virginia will renew football rivalry with Virginia Tech…in 2021

It was announced today by Athletic Director Oliver Luck that WVU and Virginia Tech will face each other on the gridiron once again in eight year.  There will be a two game matchup, with the first game taking place in Morgantown on September 18, 2021 and the second game in Blacksburg on September 24, 2022. 

The history of this rivalry dates back to 1912.  In that game Virginia Tech shutout West Virginia 41-0.  These two teams have played a total of 51 times and the Mountaineers have had much success against the Hokies. WVU currently leads the series 28-22-1.  Many successful coaches and players competed in these games including; Bobby Bowden (coach of WVU), Don Nehlen (coach of WVU), Oliver Luck (QB for WVU), Marc Bulger (QB for WVU), Michael Vick (QB for Virginia Tech) and Shayne Graham (kicker for Virginia Tech).  With all these classic coaches and players going up against each other, it can be assumed that future games will be no different. 

Most of these games were played when the Hokies were members of the Big East, but after their departure to the ACC, the last two meetings were non-conference games.  The Mountaineers have done an excellent job at home in this series going 16-9 as well as boasting a 5-1 record at neutral sites.  Virginia Tech on the other hand has a 12-7-1 record in Blacksburg.  During the period these two teams met every year from 1973 to 2005, the Mountaineers led that series 17-16.

In the last game in 2005, the Hokies won 34-17.  A lot has changed since then, and with the next game being eight years away even more will change.  Some things to think about are: Will Dana Holgorsen still be the coach of West Virginia?  What kind of rule changes will occur? Will Oliver Luck still be the AD of WVU?  And the most intriguing of all...where will Hokie coach Frank Beamer be?

Many fans recall that Virginia Tech's head coach Frank Beamer said he would never play West Virginia in Morgantown again.  But Beamer is getting up there in age and by the time these two teams play again he may have retired or been fired if his team fails to produce winning seasons.  If Beamer is still around in 2021 it will be very interesting to get his opinion on the fact that he has to travel back to Morgantown.  Regardless, he should still be somewhat satisfied since the Hokies won the last meeting and they are still in the procession of the Black Diamond Trophy. 

During an interview with the media Luck said he was getting many comments from fans about this rivalry.  "During my three years as Athletic Director at West Virginia University, I have heard from legions of Mountaineer fans, particularly those in the Southern part of the state, who have expressed their strong sentiments to renew the football rivalry with Virginia Tech."       

Luck later went onto to say, "This game is great for college football.  We all know that the two schools have extraordinary fan bases, and both schools will be counting down the days until the Hokies and the Mountaineers meet again."  With these things to keep in mind it will be no surprise how popular these two football games will be. 

Fans of West Virginia and Virginia Tech and even just college football fans in general will be pumped to see these two teams face off again.  If all goes well the Mountaineers and Hokies could be playing each other more often after these two scheduled games.  Plus if Virginia Tech is willing to renew to the rivalry with West Virginia, maybe Pitt will consider it too.

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