The Big 12 is butting heads with the Big East, but not on the court.
The tussle might end up in a court, however.
At issue is the matter of when West Virginia will begin play in the Big 12. Chuck Neinas, the Big 12 commissioner, told The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette this week that the Mountaineers will begin playing in the league this fall.
The Big East and its commissioner John Marinatto have staunchly said "not so fast." The Big East and West Virginia are currently in litigation over the school's departure date.
West Virginia announced it was leaving the Big East last October. Big East bylaws require a 27-month notice before a school can leave for another conference.
That doesn't sit well with Neinas.
"The Big East gets on planes and flies all over the country inviting other schools," Neinas told the paper. "But they raise hell when West Virginia wants to come to the Big 12?
"We didn't solicit West Virginia; West Virginia solicited us — as did other Big East schools. It seems to me the Big East has a double standard. And the Big East was talking about [automatic qualifying status to the BCS]. There's not going to be AQs in the near future."
If the normally cool Neinas sounds a bit stressed, it's because the clock is already ticking on the 2012 football season. The Big 12 is contractually bound to release its football schedule on Feb. 1. The conference's television partners are no doubt getting antsy. There are season-ticket packages to be sold, too.
If the Big 12 and West Virginia move forward, two things could happen. One, West Virginia would be required to pay substantial penalties to the Big East. The penalties could be so big, the Big 12 likely will need to help West Virginia pay them.
Two, the Big 12 could be drawn into the lawsuits between West Virginia and the Big East. That also could end up costing the Big 12 financially. It also could put some people under oath who have been at the forefront of conference realignment.
A more likely scenario is that the Big East and West Virginia reach a settlement that allows the Mountaineers to officially join the Big 12 in July. It won't be good for any of the parties to continue to pursue lawsuits.
Forcing a school to stay in a conference it doesn't want to be in — for two years — isn't a good thing, either. The bad blood created by a forced stay eventually could turn ugly at the fan level.
All of this contention could have been avoided, according to Neinas, if Missouri hadn't been so impatient to leave the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference.
At some point, all of the players in the latest wave of conference realignment, Neinas told The Gazette, had agreed to stand pat for 2012-13. He said the SEC, which also brings Texas A&M on board this fall, was willing to put up with the logistical headache of having 13 members for a season.
But as it became apparent Missouri was jumping the Big 12's ship this summer, the Big 12 invited West Virginia in a sort of pre-emptive strike to maintain a 10-school membership.
"Missouri made a very selfish decision," Neinas said. "It's been very disruptive. Missouri gave us notice in November, and it's pretty difficult to move forward then."
The clash over West Virginia will move forward, one way or another, and be resolved soon. Schools and conferences can have their disagreements, but football season waits for no one.
Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire
