Valentine's Day isn't supposed to be about break-ups, but that's exactly
what happened in college football on Tuesday.
West
Virginia and the Big East officially broke it off Tuesday, agreeing to a
settlement of their lawsuits that will allow the Mountaineers to begin
play in the Big 12 in 2012.
A couple of hours later,
like holding hands with a new girlfriend as you strut by her ex, the Big
12 released its 2012 football schedule with West Virginia
included.
TCU, the other new member of the Big 12,
kicks off conference play Sept. 15 at Kansas. That also has to sting the
Big East a bit since TCU was originally headed eastward before the Big
12 made a hasty invite.
Let's not forget the Big 12
is a wounded party, too. The league is losing Texas A&M and
Missouri to the Southeastern Conference. It was Missouri's last-minute
departure that set the ball in motion for the Big 12 to demand West
Virginia's membership immediately.
West Virginia,
like all the other Big East members, had agreed to give 27 months
advance notice before leaving the league. That bylaw was obviously meant
as a deterrent, but just like in romantic endeavors, it does no one any
good to force someone to remain in a relationship if they don't want to
be in it.
And like anything else in college
football, money ultimately decides everything. The Charleston, (W.Va.)
Daily Mail, citing an undisclosed source, reported that West Virginia
bought its way out of the Big East with a $20 million settlement. The
Mountaineers would pay $11 million with the Big 12 picking up the other
$9 million.
Now the Big East needs to find a team to
join the league immediately, perhaps Boise State, or else the conference's seven
teams will be scrambling for a 12th game.
Meanwhile,
the Big 12 adjusts to having two new members, one in their backyard and
one half a continent away.
The football teams that head to West Virginia this season – Baylor, Kansas State, TCU,
Oklahoma and Kansas – will have to contend with the travel issues and
unfamiliar surroundings. Morgantown isn't the
easiest place to get to, and their football team is pretty darn
good.
On the flip side, every conference road game for West
Virginia is a long plane ride to a strange place. Playing at Texas and
Texas Tech in back-to-back weeks could result in some road
weariness.
TCU is the lucky team that gets to take
Texas A&M's place vs. Texas as the annual Thanksgiving weekend opponent. With both the Longhorns and the Horned Frogs off the
previous week, there's a good chance that game could be moved to
Thanksgiving night.
TCU, essentially inheriting Texas
A&M's spot on the schedule, didn't get any breaks for being a
new member. The Frogs' last four games are at West Virginia, home
against Kansas State, at Texas and then home against Oklahoma.
Then again, longtime
Big 12 member Baylor didn't get any favors, either. The Bears are the
only team that has to play West Virginia, Texas and Oklahoma – the
traditional powers of the Big 12 - all on the road. The post-Robert
Griffin III era could get off to a rocky start.
Texas
Tech gets Texas, Oklahoma and West Virginia at home this season. Of
course, playing at TCU, Kansas State and Oklahoma State won't be a walk
in the park, either. Oklahoma State lost some big names but should be
good again while Kansas State and TCU return experienced
quarterbacks.
There really is no easy schedule in the
Big 12. However, a lot of people in the Big 12 are breathing easier now
that West Virginia's arrival is sooner rather than much, much later.
Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter:
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