Big 12 Expansion: West Virginia Addition Confirmed By Multiple Outlets

The West Virginia Mountaineers will leave the Big East for the Big 12, according to CBS Sports' Brett McMurphy, who's now been joined in reporting the news by the New York Times' Pete Thamel and WVU local outlet Metronews. Two of the most respected national college sports writers, along with a local source, makes for a pretty convincing set of evidence.

Or at least it would, if we hadn't gone through exactly the same thing earlier in the week before politics politicked. 

Thamel adds the detail that the Louisville Cardinals found out at about 9 am ET Friday morning that they wouldn't be invited, just moments before McMurphy broke the news. The Big 12 reportedly had a 7 am ET call on the matter.

Now it all, once again, depends on the Missouri Tigers, who are absolutely, definitely going to leave the Big 12 for the SEC. But not yet. Their exit will help determine when exactly WVU can join.

For more on the Mountaineers, visit West Virginia blog The Smoking Musket. And stay tuned here for more conference realignment news.