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FACTS & STATS: Site: Milan Puskar Stadium (60,000) -- Morgantown, West Virginia. Television: ESPN. Home Record: Pitt 4-3, WVU 4-2. Away Record: Pitt 1-2, WVU 3-1. Neutral Record: Pitt 0-0, WVU 0-0. Conference Record: Pitt 3-2, WVU 3-2. Series Record: Pittsburgh leads, 61-39-3.

GAME NOTES: The Pittsburgh Panthers will head to Morgantown to renew one of the nation's longest rivalries as they take on the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Backyard Brawl at Milan Puskar Stadium.

Pittsburgh is 5-5 after a vital 21-14 win over the Cardinals in Louisville in its last outing. Prior to the win, Todd Graham's squad had lost three-of-four. The Panthers still have a shot to win the Big East Championship with a 3-2 conference record, but they do not control their own destiny. Pitt needs to win to remain in the hunt.

WVU is also still very much in contention for the Big East crown, as it currently has a 3-2 record in-conference. The Mountaineers won 24-21 in their last outing against Cincinnati. Dana Holgorsen's unit had gone 2-2 down the stretch after starting the year 5-1 with its only early season loss coming to top-ranked Louisiana State. This might be WVU's last chance at a Big East title as it is going through the process of attempting to withdraw to join the SEC.

The storied rivalry of the Backyard Brawl originated in 1895 and the two schools have met every season for the last 68 years. The Panthers lead the all-time series 61-39-3. There have been some big season ruining upsets in the series in recent history. In 2007, the 4-7 Panthers went into Morgantown and handed the Mountaineers their second loss of the season in a 13-9 contest. The loss evaporated WVU's National Championship hopes. The next two seasons the Backyard Brawl was decided by four points or less before WVU won 35-10 in 2010. The rivalry game is escalated this year as this year's winner will not only have bragging rights, but also a shot at the Big East Championship and an automatic BCS birth.

Many thought Pitt's offense took a huge blow when it lost its star running back Ray Graham for the season due to a knee injury. Graham was one of the top tailbacks in the country, as he rushed for over 900 yards in his first seven games before his season ending injury. With Graham out, senior Zach Brown has stepped in to become the feature back. Brown had a decent outing against Louisville with 86 yards on 15 carries.

Since the injury to Graham, the offense has averaged 440.67 yards of total offense and 26.3 points per game.

Quarterback Tino Sunseri has stepped up his play since the running game was reduced. Sunseri threw for 419 yards and two scores against Connecticut after Graham went down. The junior quarterback has completed 40-of-60 passes for 414 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 95 yards and two touchdowns in his last two games. Sunseri has managed to play well despite the fact that Pitt is allowing more sacks per game that any other team in the nation. Sunseri's success stems from the breakout of wide receiver Devin Street. The sophomore wide out has caught 14 passes for 572 yards in his last two outings.

Pittsburgh's defense has been strong as of late as well. The Panthers are allowing 20 points and 320.6 yards of total offense per game in their last three games. Their rushing defense is ranked 24th in the nation for the year with an average of 122.6 yards allowed on the ground per game. Pitt has an aggressive front as it ranks fifth in the nation in sacks per game and 10th in the nation in tackles for loss per game. Max Gruder leads the defensive unit with 90 tackles and Aaron Donald is tied for seventh in the nation with nine total sacks on the year.

WVU's juggernaut offense is ranked sixth in the nation in passing and 13th in total offense. The biggest reason for its success has been Geno Smith, who has thrown for 3,497 yards and 24 touchdowns already this season. Smith set the school record for most total yards of offense in a game earlier this year in the loss to LSU. Smith's receivers have benefited from his stellar play. Stedman Bailey is the Big East's leading receiver with 1037 yards and 10 touchdowns on the year. Bailey has accumulated over 100 yards receiving in seven of his 10 games this year. Tavon Austin is ranked third in the conference with 907 receiving yards. The Bailey and Austin duo make it very difficult to defend WVU.

Dustin Garrison is the lead back for the Mountaineers. Garrison broke out for 291 yards in the 55-10 win over Bowling Green, but has not eclipsed the century mark since.

The Mountaineers have the 26th best defense in the nation with an average of 339 yards allowed per game. Lately opponents have been finding success against WVU's defensive unit as it is allowing 396 yards of total offense and 34.6 points per game in its last four outings.

The rule of thumb in a rivalry game is that records go out the window. WVU and Pittsburgh's rivalry is one of the most spirited in the nation and has delivered very exciting contests in the past few years. Smith might not be able to find the same success he has against the Panthers' ruthless pass rush. Sunseri could find it impossible to throw against the Mountaineers' defense that has not allowed any quarterback to eclipse the 300-yard passing mark. The battle of Smith and Sunseri as each tries to lead his team to the Big East title will produce an exciting evening of football.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: West Virginia 31, Pittsburgh 28