Post by elp525 on Oct 28, 2011 10:36:06 GMT -5
October 28, 2011
By Dave Hickman
The Charleston Gazette
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia's on-again, off-again relationship with the Big 12 is on again, this time officially.
The Gazette has confirmed that the Big 12 Board of Directors, meeting via conference call early this morning, officially voted to invite the Mountaineers to join the league and that the school will accept.
The board met by phone at 7 a.m. (ET) today and selected the Mountaineers over Louisville. Both schools were informed shortly thereafter.
West Virginia officials also informed the Big East Conference of its intentions Friday morning. That is critical in that the school will now owe only a $5 million exit fee and not $10 million. The amount will double when and if the Big East begins adding new members, which could happen any day now.
When West Virginia might be able to begin play in the league remains a question. The school is obligated to pay the Big East that $5 million exit fee and give 27 months notice. The Big East has been adamant about holding exiting members to that 27-month wait and is expected to do so with WVU, as well.
Pitt and Syracuse last month announced their intentions to leave the Big East for the ACC and those schools have been told they will have to wait the 27 months.
If that waiting period can't be adjusted, the school would not begin competition in the Big 12 until the 2014-15 school year. But as the Big East begins adding new members, there exists the possibility the league might wish to jetison its former members in order to move forward.
The decision by the Big 12 this morning ends a turbulent week in which that same Big 12 board on Monday agreed to invite WVU to join the league, but never voted formally to do so. At that time the conference was preparing a press release and making plans to travel to Morgantown on Wednesday for a press conference.
The deal hit a snag, though, when lobbying began to make Louisville the new member of the conference instead of West Virginia. That ignited two days of political battles in the media involving West Virginia's Senate delegation after it was learned that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had stepped in on behalf of Louisville.
This morning's vote by the Big 12 board reportedly will keep the Big 12 at 10 teams. There had been speculation that the league might invite both West Virginia and Louisville -- as well as Notre Dame as a non-football member -- but those plans are apparently either on hold or off.
The Big 12 and WVU are both expected to announce the decision later today.
West Virginia will replace Missouri in the Big 12. Missouri has not officially left the conference, but is widely expected to do so soon to join the SEC.
By Dave Hickman
The Charleston Gazette
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia's on-again, off-again relationship with the Big 12 is on again, this time officially.
The Gazette has confirmed that the Big 12 Board of Directors, meeting via conference call early this morning, officially voted to invite the Mountaineers to join the league and that the school will accept.
The board met by phone at 7 a.m. (ET) today and selected the Mountaineers over Louisville. Both schools were informed shortly thereafter.
West Virginia officials also informed the Big East Conference of its intentions Friday morning. That is critical in that the school will now owe only a $5 million exit fee and not $10 million. The amount will double when and if the Big East begins adding new members, which could happen any day now.
When West Virginia might be able to begin play in the league remains a question. The school is obligated to pay the Big East that $5 million exit fee and give 27 months notice. The Big East has been adamant about holding exiting members to that 27-month wait and is expected to do so with WVU, as well.
Pitt and Syracuse last month announced their intentions to leave the Big East for the ACC and those schools have been told they will have to wait the 27 months.
If that waiting period can't be adjusted, the school would not begin competition in the Big 12 until the 2014-15 school year. But as the Big East begins adding new members, there exists the possibility the league might wish to jetison its former members in order to move forward.
The decision by the Big 12 this morning ends a turbulent week in which that same Big 12 board on Monday agreed to invite WVU to join the league, but never voted formally to do so. At that time the conference was preparing a press release and making plans to travel to Morgantown on Wednesday for a press conference.
The deal hit a snag, though, when lobbying began to make Louisville the new member of the conference instead of West Virginia. That ignited two days of political battles in the media involving West Virginia's Senate delegation after it was learned that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had stepped in on behalf of Louisville.
This morning's vote by the Big 12 board reportedly will keep the Big 12 at 10 teams. There had been speculation that the league might invite both West Virginia and Louisville -- as well as Notre Dame as a non-football member -- but those plans are apparently either on hold or off.
The Big 12 and WVU are both expected to announce the decision later today.
West Virginia will replace Missouri in the Big 12. Missouri has not officially left the conference, but is widely expected to do so soon to join the SEC.
