As you’ve probably heard by now – on about five different posts here, and also elsewhere – West Virginia is set to join the Big 12 in the latest round of conference realignment. Now it also appears that WVU will be joining the Big 12 next year. At least that’s what the Big 12’s press release seems to assume:
The Big 12 Conference Board of Directors have voted unanimously to accept West Virginia University as a full conference member effective July 1, 2012. The Mountaineers will begin competing in the Big 12 beginning with the 2012-13 athletic season.
I wasn’t sure what the press release was talking about, given that teams aren’t allowed to just leave the Big East like that. But it looks like both WVU and Pitt could pay a steeper exit fee to get to leave early (with WVU going to the Big 12, and Pitt to the ACC):
Multiple sources to BlueGoldNews.com: Pitt could exit Big East immediately for approximately $21 million; #WVU expects similar offer.
We’ll see how this shakes out, but the upshot is that WVU and Pitt could be playing in their new conferences in less than a year.
Via Dejan Kovacevic.
For more on West Virginia sports, check out the Smoking Musket. For Pitt, there’s Cardiac Hill.