After all that, it appears that West Virginia is going to be joining the Big 12 after all. According to Brett McMurphy of CBS Sports, the Big 12 will invite West Virginia to join the conference, an invitation the school is sure to accept.
West Virginia has been invited to join the Big 12 Conference, college football industry sources told CBSSports.com Friday. The Mountaineers will accept the invitation, sources said. The Big 12 is expected to officially announce the invitation later today.
Earlier this week this seemed like an inevitability, but then rumors began to come out that the conference was entertaining the idea of brining Louisville on board instead. That would have been a disaster for West Virginia, which would have then been left to drown with the sinking Big East.
But now they've been thrown a life preserver by the Big 12, and should succeed just fine in a conference that is more focused on football.
For more on the Mountaineers, check out The Smoking Musket.