With Pitt recently being mentioned as a potential target of the Big 12 with the loss of Texas A&M, we’ve already been over the reasons why they’d be unlikely to make the move without other schools being involved.
But what if West Virginia came along? A Tulsa World reporter briefly mentions that the Mountaineers could also be a potential candidate for an invitation if the conference moves back to 12 teams:
One league spokesman agreed that Pitt would be a more attractive addition than other schools mentioned like BYU.
There also have been reports the Big 12 might return to 12 teams by adding some combination of Notre Dame, Pitt, West Virginia and BYU.
If Notre Dame were along for the ride, it’d be easier to envision Pitt going along, but at least West Virginia would be a start. This doesn’t even get close to being done, in my opinion, unless there are several schools involved a bit closer to home. I’m guessing both schools would want that third to come from the Big East as well for them to even consider a move. Adding BYU would strengthen the conference, no doubt, but it really would do nothing for Pitt or West Virginia.
Odds of this happening, even if Pitt and West Virginia pick up invites? Still very unlikely.