Topic: WVU will be joining the Big XII on July 1

[Cynical Puppet]

Source: WVU, Big East reach conditional settlement
by Mike Casazza
Daily Mail sports writer
by Jared Hunt
Daily Mail Capitol Reporter
Advertiser

 

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia University and the Big East Conference have reached a conditional agreement to settle their legal battles against one another, a source told the Charleston Daily Mail Thursday evening.

A formal announcement could be made as early as Friday. That is also when the Big 12 is set to release its 2012 conference football schedule, media outlets reported Thursday.

The Big East will make about $20 million from the resolution, with WVU paying $11 million.

The source said the Big 12 would handle the remaining amount and the Mountaineers will enjoy full membership in that conference beginning July 1.

The source said WVU's early exit from the Big East is no longer conditional upon Boise State joining the Big East as a replacement in 2012.

The process of recruiting Boise State had been an obstacle standing in the way of a resolution.

One of the reasons the Big East has been fighting the lawsuit is the fact that it's incoming members aren't scheduled to join the conference until 2013 -- which would leave a gap in schedules if WVU left this year.

If Boise State could be swayed to join the conference a year early, it would mitigate some of the financial damage suffered by the Big East following WVU's departure.

However, it appears the case will proceed regardless of Boise State's decision.

Sources told the Daily Mail Wednesday WVU was nearly finished negotiating an agreement in which the university would pay a "cash settlement" of $11 million to complete its exit from the Big East to the Big 12 Conference this year.

On Thursday, a source close to the negotiations said the additional $9 million would come in the form of contributions from other Big 12 member schools.

In that proposed scenario, WVU's $11 million payment would cover three things: The Big East's $5 million exit fee, Boise State's $5 million buyout fee, and $1 million to match what each Big 12 school is paying.

That would raise the total value of the settlement to $20 million.

A source also said Thursday afternoon Big East executives had approved WVU's proposal to resolve the case, as lawyers worked to hash out the final details of the resolution.

[Bone Crusher]

It's good to see that the Big 12 will keep its TV contract after all.  No school should ever be held hostage by its old conference and that is why CU, NU, aTm, and MU got out of Dodge quickly.  It was killing us Buff fans when we didn't know for sure if we'd be in the Pac-12 this recent season.

Both TCU and WVU will be surprised to find out how tough the Big 12 is.

[Cynical Puppet]

I hadn't thought about it until I saw it on ESPN's Big XII blog, but apparently TCU fans are more excited about possibly playing in the Cotton Bowl than winning the Big XII.

[Bone Crusher]

I hadn't thought about it until I saw it on ESPN's Big XII blog, but apparently TCU fans are more excited about possibly playing in the Cotton Bowl than winning the Big XII.

They are smarter than Ute fans for sure.  Beating OU and UT in the same season would take some special doing and the same goes for WVU.

[usarmymike]

Big 12 will not be as tough as this last season. TCU and WVU will be in the top 5 and would not be suprised if either one wins in their first year

[Bone Crusher]

Big 12 will not be as tough as this last season. TCU and WVU will be in the top 5 and would not be suprised if either one wins in their first year

Strongly disagree.  Any new team to any new conference is essentially playing 12 non conference games against unfamiliar teams.  Both teams will be good but winning the Big 12 would take a miracle.  Same for your Tigers in the SEC East.

Utah was a 9-10 win team in the MWC and went 7-5 in their first season in the Pac-12.  They were talking about how their 7-3 record in the Pac-12 since Urban Meyer came to SLC would help them do well in the Pac-12...yea right.  TCU would most likely be a 8-4 team while WVU could be 9-3 but I think the Big 12 is OU's to lose this season.

The Big 12 will be ok with both UT and OU in the fold.

[usarmymike]

TCU and WVU will be better than they were last year as TCU was reloading and WVU was under a new head coach.  Both also play fairly strong OOC schedules.  OSU will be in transition, UT is at best a 7 or 8 win team til they find a QB,  who know what will happen at Baylor.  ISU, KU, and Tech wont be better than last year.  OU and KSU are the best of big 12 right now. 

[Bone Crusher]

TCU and WVU will be better than they were last year as TCU was reloading and WVU was under a new head coach.  Both also play fairly strong OOC schedules.  OSU will be in transition, UT is at best a 7 or 8 win team til they find a QB,  who know what will happen at Baylor.  ISU, KU, and Tech wont be better than last year.  OU and KSU are the best of big 12 right now.

The week in week out grind of the Big 12 is greater than the Big East or MWC.  I can say the same for the SEC when it comes to MU & aTm.  It's not going to be like Boise State going to the MWC from the WAC and dominating because the midmajors don't have the depth of quality football teams that BCS conferences have and I wouldn't even call the Big East a BCS conference.

TCU and WVU will have their hands full in the Big 12 next season regardless of how good they are.

[thedrUNKenLoper]

Ahhh Boise lose only one game this year and it was due to a kicker don't think they were affected by moving from the WAC to MWC.

[Cynical Puppet]

West Virginia next year will be just like a Leach led Tech team was, all offense and no defense. They lost a lot on defense and hired a new DC. I think you can put them down for as many as Tech would get(except in 2008 when they had a decent defense) and mark WVU down to 4-6 conference wins.

TCU is a different animal. But I have a hard time believing a team who every year squeaked by a SMU or UTEP is going to run through the Big XII without dropping 2-3 games. So add them to the 4-6 win column.

I think the best either team can hope for is a strong showing and land in the top 1/3 of the conference.

[architechguy]

West Virginia is used to playing top notch competition, they schedule BCS teams in their non conference schedule to make up for their weaker Big East schedule.  I don't think they'll be surprised by the Big 12s competition.  I don't think the same can be said for TCU.

[thedrUNKenLoper]

No offense to the BigXII conference but its not like the Mountaineers have to change their personel. What do I mean by this? Example, Nebraska went to a smashmouth conference from the finesse league of the BigXII which by the end of the season I think wore on them and the parts they had. Missouri and Texas A&M will also see a more physical style of play in the SEC as for West Virginia they should fit in just fine as will TCU in my opinion, the Horned Frogs are undersized but don't let that fool you they are physical.

[TxCoUnTrYbOy]

I dont think you can say the B1G was a smashmouth conference, definitely not this past season. I would say it is a step down from the Big 12.

[thedrUNKenLoper]

I dont think you can say the B1G was a smashmouth conference, definitely not this past season. I would say it is a step down from the Big 12.

My guess is you didn't watch many B1G games this season, compared to the BigXII this is true. Nebraska at the end of the season needed bigger LB's which they have started to key on to withstand playing in the conference. Offenses in the BigXII is finesse which isn't how it is in the B1G.

[longhorn99]

Smash-mouth indeed,  but in slow motion 

[thedrUNKenLoper]

Smash-mouth indeed,  but in slow motion 

Hahah I didn't say it was good offenses I just classified that it was more physical than anything EVER in the BigXII.

[Bone Crusher]

I think the best either team can hope for is a strong showing and land in the top 1/3 of the conference.

That is what both teams should aim for and most likely will finish.  The Big 12 in my opinion is still a strong conference although they don't have the depth of the Pac-12.

[thedrUNKenLoper]

I think the best either team can hope for is a strong showing and land in the top 1/3 of the conference.

That is what both teams should aim for and most likely will finish.  The Big 12 in my opinion is still a strong conference although they don't have the depth of the Pac-12.

Actually the BigXII was probably the deepest conference last year, the Pac12 not so much pretty top heavy with Stanford, Oregon and SC

[Bone Crusher]

I think the best either team can hope for is a strong showing and land in the top 1/3 of the conference.

That is what both teams should aim for and most likely will finish.  The Big 12 in my opinion is still a strong conference although they don't have the depth of the Pac-12.

Actually the BigXII was probably the deepest conference last year, the Pac12 not so much pretty top heavy with Stanford, Oregon and SC

I was speaking from a historical perspective.

[architechguy]

Oregon is a nouveau riche program, they're not a historical power.  Stanford is good right now, but they're not a historical power either.  Behind USC, the next biggest name brand program would be either Washington or UCLA, and I would say both of those are upper middle class type programs.

The Pac 12 plays some great football these days.  USC is kind of the best kept secret right now because they weren't allowed to be ranked, so not as many people realize how good they are.  Going into the season, them and Oregon will be top 10 and Stanford will likely be just outside it.  Beyond that however, there's not much else out there.

[Bone Crusher]

Oregon is a nouveau riche program, they're not a historical power.  Stanford is good right now, but they're not a historical power either.  Behind USC, the next biggest name brand program would be either Washington or UCLA, and I would say both of those are upper middle class type programs.

The Pac 12 plays some great football these days.  USC is kind of the best kept secret right now because they weren't allowed to be ranked, so not as many people realize how good they are.  Going into the season, them and Oregon will be top 10 and Stanford will likely be just outside it.  Beyond that however, there's not much else out there.

The Pac-12 can claim that every member has won a conference title in the last 25 years.  No other conference can lay claim to that.

[architechguy]

So what?

[Cynical Puppet]

So what?

+1

[RedR8R]

So what?

+1

++(+1)

[Bone Crusher]

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/7574104/west-virginia-mountaineers-join-big-12-july-big-east-lawsuit-settlement

The invasion of the couch burning wackos has begun.