It’s official: WVU a member of the Big 12
On Tuesday morning, the Big 12 Conference and the Big East Conference announced a settlement of their respective lawsuits regarding West Virginia University. Terms of the settlement will allow WVU to leave the Big East and join the Big 12 on July 1, 2012, upon payment of $20 million in damages to the Big East Conference.
Sources reported that the Big 12 Conference will provide West Virginia with $10 million of the money it must pay the Big East to leave. West Virginia has already paid the Big East $2.5 million. A large percentage of the $7.5 million still owed by WVU can be covered by money owed West Virginia University by the Big East Conference that will not be paid the school.
Although not mentioned in this week’s news announcement, there will be no taxpayer’s money, no academic money, and no student tuition money used by WVU to pay the Big East Conference to leave.
The Big 12 has already accomplished its 2012 football schedule and West Virginia is included in that master slate of games.
West Virginia and Florida State have already announced the cancellation of the 2012 football game the two schools had planned for September in Tallahassee. The non-conference football games in Morgantown versus Marshall and Maryland as well as the game against James Madison at FedEx Field near Washington, D.C. are not expected to be affected by West Virginia’s final acceptance into the Big 12 Conference.
Following its acceptance into the Big 12 Conference, West Virginia University’s 2012 football schedule has already been announced.
The season opens on Sept. 1 vs. Marshall in Morgantown. After an open date, the Mountaineers play James Madison at FedEx Field in Landover on Sept. 15. Maryland visits Morgantown on Sept. 22. The first Big 12 game is against Baylor at home on Sept. 29.
The three October dates are on the 6th at Texas, the 13th at Texas Tech, and the 20th versus Kansas State in Morgantown.
In November, WVU sees TCU in Morgantown on the 3rd, is at Oklahoma State on the 10th, welcomes Oklahoma to Morgantown on the 17th and is at Iowa State on the 24th. On Dec. 1, the Mountainers are at home versus Kansas.
