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Will it be the Big East or Big 12 for West Virginia in 2012?
An offense that helped put up a record 70 points on No. 14 Clemson in the Orange Bowl on Wednesday night returns virtually intact next season. The question now for the 23rd-ranked Mountaineers will be what conference they'll be showcased in - a decision that may well be made in court.
Lawsuits filed in two states have held up West Virginia's planned move to the Big 12, bringing up the possibility that next season the Mountaineers might be stuck defending their Big East co-championship.
Athletic director Oliver Luck did no Big East flag-waving as the Mountaineers headed to south Florida. And while the beleaguered conference got its sought-after signature win, that certainly wasn't the school's intent.
''The administration is thinking all the time about our move and next steps and lawsuits and all that,'' Luck said. ''At this point, my focus is certainly on the Big 12.''
The university's lawsuit in Morgantown is aimed at speeding up the Mountaineers' move, while a suit in Rhode Island seeks to hold West Virginia to the conference's 27-month rule before leaving. A judge in Morgantown has yet to rule on the conference's motion to put the West Virginia lawsuit on hold while the Rhode Island case plays out.
WVU attorneys have said the university needs a resolution by June 30. But conference schedules will be filled out long before then, and the Mountaineers have nonconference games against Florida State, Maryland, Marshall, and James Madison of the Championship Subdivision at FedEx Field, home of the Washington Redskins.
West Virginia's players haven't been concerned with the conference tug-of-war, knowing there's plenty of room on the national stage for them regardless.
''Not once have we discussed it,'' quarterback Geno Smith said. ''Everything with the conference alignment is way over our heads. We don't even stress ourselves about it. We'll jump at the chance to play in a new conference. They have a lot of great competition there. We would love to play those guys, but whatever happens is pretty much up to the people who take care of those things.''
If he gets there in time, Smith would be a nice fit in a Big 12 known for producing top-caliber quarterbacks, and he'll have his top three targets back.
Smith set single-season and game school records for total offense, passing yards, completions and attempts. His six TD passes in the Orange Bowl gave him 31 for the season. Both tied school records set by Marc Bulger in 1998.
''I'm just proud of that guy,'' said wide receiver Stedman Bailey. ''Geno's had a lot of great moments in his career. I think this was the best, being that this was the biggest stage that we've played so far in our lives. He was just amazing.''
Bailey had a record 1,279 receiving yards and tied the school mark of 12 TD catches shared by two others, Tavon Austin had a record 100 pass receptions and the pair became the first duo with 1,000-yard receiving seasons in school history. Austin also led the nation with 2,574 all-purpose yards.
Leading rusher Dustin Garrison, who sat out the Orange Bowl with a knee injury, and fullback Shawne Alston return along with most of the offensive line. Also back will be left guard Josh Jenkins, who sat out the 2011 season due to injury.
The biggest questions will be on defense, which loses five starters. The unit ranked next-to-last in the Big East in points allowed and last in rushing yards allowed. But three of the team's top four tacklers return.
Still up in the air is whether defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel will return for his 12th season at West Virginia. Casteel hasn't commented on speculation that he could be asked to join Rich Rodriguez's staff at Arizona. Casteel served under Rodriguez at West Virginia from 2001 until Rodriguez left for Michigan before the 2008 Fiesta Bowl.
The highest score in bowl history capped a wild ride for first-year coach Dana Holgorsen, who was hired in December 2010 as offensive coordinator and head coach-in-waiting, only to take over a year early when Bill Stewart was forced out in June.
West Virginia (10-3) ended on a four-game winning streak after stumbling in midseason with losses to LSU, Syracuse and Louisville.
Holgorsen joins Michigan's Brady Hoke, Miami's Larry Coker and Boise State's Chris Peterson to win a BCS bowl in his debut season at a school.
''We're going to enjoy this one,'' Holgorsen said. ''We did everything that we were supposed to do going back closer to two months now'' I'm really proud of the way these guys responded when our backs are against the wall. We did what we were supposed to do to get here. We prepared hard. We respected our opponent, but we weren't scared of anybody.''
