West Virginia has gone on a bit of a nonconference scheduling frenzy of late, announcing future games with Virginia Tech, Tennessee and NC State within the past week.

Conf:It is all well and good to see the brief resumption of the Black Diamond game between the Hokies and Mountaineers, but let’s be honest here. The wrong rivalry game has been scheduled.

The Backyard Brawl needs to be played again.

Even West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen agrees, saying at Big 12 media day, “I would welcome back Pitt and the Backyard Brawl any time that they want it.”

If only it was that easy.

Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done to get that game back, not any time soon. Pitt has placed a priority on playing Penn State again, something Steve Pederson wanted to get accomplished when he arrived as athletic director.

He has achieved that, with a four-game series set to begin in 2016. Pitt is open to keeping Penn State on the schedule as a permanent nonconference rival, just like the current in-state rivalry games for Florida State, Clemson and Georgia Tech. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen. Penn State is searching for a new athletic director, so the future of the series beyond 2019 is up in the air.

That leaves 2020 as the earliest possible option, since Pitt would never schedule West Virginia in the same years it plays Penn State.

Then there is the Notre Dame factor, as the Irish will rotate onto the schedule once every three years as part of an agreement with the ACC. The only real way for West Virginia to get onto the schedule, then, is in years Pitt does not play Penn State or Notre Dame. Who knew playing an eight-game conference schedule would hamstring Pitt more than West Virginia playing a nine-game league schedule?

The difference, of course, is West Virginia does not have another big-time rivalry game people want to see. The Virginia Tech rivalry used to be big but it has been dormant for so long, the Backyard Brawl has superseded it.

Pitt’s rivalry with Penn State dates back to 1893. The two have played 96 times. The Backyard Brawl dates back to 1895; the two schools have played 104 times. Though Pitt and Penn State have not played since 2000, the rivalry remains because of all the history and tradition. Though the younger generation knows much more about the Backyard Brawl, many Pitt fans would rather play Penn State than West Virginia.

Pederson and West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck have discussed future games. But logistics have made it difficult to put anything on the schedule. So the wait continues.