As we have turned the calendar to November, the college football season continues to thrill, surprise and befuddle us each week…and guess what we still get to look forward to not only top 10 matchups week after week but also our favorite rivalries are coming at us quickly.

One of the great college rivalries (14^tholdest) might not be in the scheduling cards after this season.  With the University of Pittsburgh bolting for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and West Virginia University running to the Big 12 conference this Thanksgiving weekend traditional match-up could become another casualty of conference realignment, just like the Texas versus Texas A&M tilt and Oklahoma versus Nebraska.

The Pitt and West Virginia game called the Backyard Brawl for several reasons including the schools close proximity (75 miles apart), their blatant dislike (hate is so harsh but may apply here) for each other and the all out beat down physicality of the game make this a brawl.  This year is the 104^thmeeting between the schools (94^thstraight year) with Pitt holding the series edge 61-39-3 but, West Virginia won last year’s brawl handily.

Wouldn’t it be a shame to break up these traditional foes?  I get that when each of these teams land in their new conference (both universities are looking to break the Big East conference’s 27 month exit time frame by shelling out an estimated $21 million exit fee to start their conference play for the 2012-13 season) that new traditions and rivalries will form but what is the harm in having one of your non conference opponents be against your old rival instead of some cupcake early season match up used to pad your stats.

Other universities are able to keep their traditional rivals (i.e. Florida versus Florida State and Georgia versus Georgia Tech) and still maintain the conference affiliate schedule.

The athletic directors at their respective universities need to figure out a way to make this game stay on their schedules for years to come no questions asked.  The fans need this game to keep a balance while their teams become awash in change with new opponents, more travel and of course exciting possibilities; but a good old fashioned Thanksgiving weekend brother versus brother brawl can’t be all that bad.