Now West Virginia's U.S. senators are reacting to reports the Big 12 is considering Louisville as a replacement for Missouri after it appeared West Virginia was already accepted by the conference. Hopefully, this will expedite West Virginia’s admission. Waiting to accept the Mountaineers could be costly to West Virginia. If West Virginia informs the Big East of its intention to leave before the league adds Navy or Air Force, the Mountaineers would only be held to a $5 million exit fee. If the Big East has added Navy or Air Force before the Mountaineers notify the Big East, they would have to pay $10 million. Either way, the Mountaineers would not be able to leave the Big East until June 30, 2014 – the same time frame as Syracuse and Pittsburgh.
That 2014 timeframe is what is in place now. If the Big East is able to add Boise St., Houston, SMU, etc they will need to move the other teams out to start their new schedules. Some type of negotiated exit will be in order.
More tidbits of information: So, after three U.S. Senators, nine Big 12 schools and one billionaire booster wrestled over whether West Virginia or Louisville should join the Big 12, the end result is expected to be the same. The issue is expected to be resolved by the board of directors Wednesday or Friday, according to an official in the Big 12 who requested anonymity. (You know what that means.) The Oklahoman reported that Oklahoma State mega-bucks booster T. Boone Pickens said he was concerned about adding West Virginia because Morgantown is "pretty isolated." (Compared to, say, Stillwater?) Why the delay is bad for West Virginia: The Big East presidents are scheduled to meet next Tuesday in Philadelphia with Big East Commissioner John Marinatto. It is possible they could give Marinatto the go-ahead to invite new members next week.
