Who do West Virginia fans and athletes hate the most?
It's a fair question to ask. If you were to attempt to build a top 3 or top 5 or top 10 list consisting of WVU's greatest rivals, there are some obvious inclusions. And perhaps some not-so-obvious ones. So who are the biggest rivals for the Mountaineers?
1. Pittsburgh Panthers
Well, let's get the obvious answer out of the way now. The Backyard Brawl is the longest-tenured rivalry and the most storied rivalry for both universities, and the intensity of the Backyard Brawl rivals some of the top rivalries in all of college sports. The obvious top spot belongs to Pitt.
2. Virginia Tech Hokies
Historically, the Hokies are among the top five most played opponents for the Mountaineers in football and basketball, and the intensity and competitiveness during the Battle for the Black Diamond Trophy on the gridiron in particular has fueled this rivalry. And it provides a true big-time rivalry in college sports for central Appalachia.
3. Syracuse Orange
While it's a rivalry that hasn't been revisited – outside of the NCAA Tournament and bowl games, that is – since the two teams left for separate conferences upon the implosion of the Big East. But historically, the Mountaineers and the Orange have provided foils for each other across multiple sports for decades. It's the second-longest running football rivalry for West Virginia, and in the top 10 for basketball.
4. Penn State Nittany Lions
This one is more familiar for older fans and might even take some of the younger members of the fan base by surprise, but there was a time where Penn State was undeniably the program's second biggest rival. They are West Virginia's third-most played opponent all-time in football, and second-most played opponent in basketball.
5. Rutgers
You could argue Maryland should take precedence here, and many will scoff at the idea of Rutgers as a rival. But over multiple sports, the two programs share a long history. They've met 69 times in basketball (fifth-most of all-time for WVU) and 39 times in football (sixth-most all-time for WVU).
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