The Big 12 on Friday invited West Virginia to join the league next season, giving the conference a replacement for Missouri and dealing another setback to the beleaguered Big East.
“The Big 12 Presidents and Chancellors are excited to welcome another outstanding institution to the Conference,” said Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis, the chairman of the Big 12 board of directors.
“The addition of West Virginia, while expanding the reach of the Big 12, brings an impressive institution with esteemed academics and a proud athletic tradition into the Conference. This is another step in building a strong foundation for the future of the Big 12.”
In its release, the Big 12 said it expects to have 10 schools for the 2012-13 season, listing West Virginia but not Missouri.
West Virginia is one of the founding members of the Big East’s football conference, created in 1991. Of the eight original members for the Big East, only Rutgers remains. The Big East is trying to reconfigure itself as a 12-team football league and has been courting six schools, including Boise State, to join. Now it will need seven to get to 12, though maybe not for a couple years.
While the Big 12′s statement said West
Read More from the Article Source: Full Article
