2012 Big 12 Football Schedule Arrives, Texas And TCU Could Meet On Thanksgiving

Texas Vs. TCU Game Could Be Thanksgiving Day Rivalry After All

When Texas A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC, it also left the Texas Longhorns without its longtime Thanksgiving Day rival. As expected, the TCU Horned Frogs have stepped in to fill the Hate Week void on the newly released Big 12 schedule, but it's just not quite the same without the Horns following the Cowboys on Thursday.

Thus!

I was just told the Texas-TCU game is definitely moving from Nov. 24 to Thanksgiving this year. #TCU #Longhorns #Big12 #cfb

— Chip Brown (@ChipBrownOB) February 14, 2012

Maybe we've found a way to squeeze a measure of tradition out of the gutting of a century-old rivalry yet. It's not quite the same, but it's the best we've got left, and the Big 12 would be foolish to run this game on any day but Thursday.

For more on Horns football, visit Texas blogs Burnt Orange Nation and Barking Carnival. For more on Horned Frogs football, visit TCU blog Frogs O' War. And for all parties involved, visit SB Nation Dallas.

2012 Big 12 Football Schedule Finally Released In Full

After much turmoil and at least two delays, one of which saw Texas Tech just go ahead and jump the gun (GUNS UP) entirely, the 2012 Big 12 football schedule has finally arrived, featuring the newly Big East-terminated West Virginia Mountaineers and TCU Horned Frogs. This is WVU's first stint in a heartland conference, while TCU has clawed its way back to rejoin many of its former Southwest Conference rivals.

TCU opens at home against the Kansas Jayhawks on Sept. 15, while West Virginia draws the Baylor Bears on Sept. 29. The two new guys play each other on Nov. 3 in Morgantown.

Elsewhere, Baylor and Tech are playing a neutral-siter in Arlington on Nov. 24, and the Red River Shootout Rivalry Shootout between the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners is set for Oct. 13. Replacing Texas A&M as Texas' Thanksgiving week rival is TCU.

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The complete 2012 Big 12 football schedule:

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Big East 'Terminates' West Virginia's Membership, Big 12 Schedule Coming Soon

The West Virginia Mountaineers have finally broken up with the Big East, though according to the Big East's statement, it's not exactly clear who's dumping whom. We'd thought WVU was the one leaving the Big East for another, but the Big East says it's "terminating" West Virginia's membership. All this on Valentine's Day, you guys.

All lawsuits and so forth were dismissed. Thank the good Lord we never have to hear about these particular lawsuits again.

This means the Big 12, Big East, and ACC can go on ahead and release their football schedules for 2012 now. The Big 12 is expected to release its within the hour, as it's been more or less ready to go for about two weeks now.

West Virginia will settle with the Big East for an undisclosed amount, which has been reported at $20 million. It's also been reported the Big 12 will pay half of that, and most of the rest will come from money the Big East owed WVU anyway.

For more on the Mountaineers fight to leave the Big East, visit The Smoking Musket. For updates on Big East football, basketball and expansion, visit Big East Coast Bias, and stay tuned to our college conference realignment section.

West Virginia's Big East Exit To Be Announced Tuesday, According To Report

By multiple accounts, Valentine's Day is the day for the West Virginia Mountaineers to finally flee the clutches of the Big East for the Big 12. The spurned conference will announce soon that WVU has left and will compete in the Big 12 in 2012-2013, CBS Sports' Brett McMurphy reports. He also reports the Syracuse Orange and Pittsburgh Panthers won't leave early for the ACC.

Regarding that $20 million buyout West Virginia owes the Big East for splitting early, the MetroNews reports $2.5 million has already been paid, along with an interesting structure for the next $10 million:

WVU, however, will get half of that payment from the Big 12, sources say. $5 million will be a direct gift while the remaining $5 million will be returned to the Big 12 in future years by WVU taking a smaller payout from the league.

The remaining $7.5 million could be composed of money that the Big East owed West Virginia anyway, meaning the 'Eers could get out of the deal without having to pay much of anything. See what a little lawyerin' and a little patience can get you?

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For more on the Mountaineers fight to leave the Big East, visit The Smoking Musket. For updates on Big East football, basketball and expansion, visit Big East Coast Bias, and stay tuned to our college conference realignment section.

Big 12 Football Schedule Has Schedule All Its Own

The Big 12 football schedule, an item we get to write about once per day, has now been delayed by two full weeks at least, plus three days, if you're going by Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt's proclamation. It had been reported that Monday was to be the day, but that sounds pretty far off now.

According to The Oklahoman's Travis Haney, eight different scheduling models are still being considered, but it could still arrive this week. While we now know the Red Raiders' entire schedule and we know what to expect in general for each team (Haney provides some expectation's for OU), plenty of questions still remain.

If absolutely nothing else, we know the Texas Tech plays the TCU Horned Frogs on Oct. 6 and the West Virginia Mountaineers on Oct. 20. The latter is the key here, as it's now about as close as possible to official that WVU is joining the Big 12 for next season.

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Big 12 Football Schedule Could Come Out Monday, Could Come Out Never

The entire sporting world has been waiting for the West Virginia Mountaineers to finally escape the Big East so that the Big 12 can go ahead and release its 2012 football schedule. At this point, the document had better contain the secrets of life and several really inventive rhymes, because it can't possibly be worth the wait.

It was supposed to drop Jan. 31, then supposed to come out Feb. 10. Now Austin American-Statesman columnist Kirk Bohls moves the goal posts (football term) back still further:

Big 12 football schedule due to be released Monday, I'm told.

— kbohls (@kbohls) February 10, 2012

By the time this deal comes out, West Virginia will be getting set to play in the Holiday Bowl.

For more on the Mountaineers fight to leave the Big East, visit The Smoking Musket. For updates on Big East football, basketball and expansion, visit Big East Coast Bias, and stay tuned to our college conference realignment section.

2012 Big 12 Football Schedule Not Coming Friday After All, According To Reports

Despite Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt's assertion that the 2012 Big 12 schedule would be released Friday, it seems that's not quite the case. Though the only major hangup remains the state of the West Virginia Mountaineers, who are fighting to leave the Big East in 2012, multiple outlets are reporting Friday isn't the day after all.

According to what a Big 12 spokesperson told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette the Big 12 football schedule will not be released today. #bummer

— Chris Level (@ChrisLevel) February 10, 2012

Big 12 source says the 2012 #Big12 fball schedule will NOT be released today - still being finalized. So we wait ... and wait ...

— Chip Brown (@ChipBrownOB) February 10, 2012

Especially frustrating for the parties involved, since it certainly seems WVU and the Big East have settled matters and the Big 12 is ready to roll. The Big 12 had hoped to have its schedule out by the end of January. The kerfuffle is also preventing the ACC and Big East from finishing their schedules, both of which require and in-or-out by the Mountaineers.

For more on the Mountaineers fight to leave the Big East, visit The Smoking Musket. For updates on Big East football, basketball and expansion, visit Big East Coast Bias, and stay tuned to our college conference realignment section.

Big East Expansion: Boise State Could Still Replace West Virginia In 2012

The West Virginia Mountaineers' efforts to flee the Big East could finally result in success, according to the Charleston Daily Mail, which says a settlement between the school and the conference has been agreed to. However, Mitch Vingle reports to the contrary.

As further evidence, Texas Tech Red Raiders athletic director Kirby Hocutt says the long-delayed Big 12 football schedule will be released Friday. If so, it will have been delayed at least 11 days by WVU's wrangling with its former conference.

But the Big East could still avoid having Rutgers and Syracuse play each other or some other desperate slapdash. The Boise St. Broncos, whose president Bob Kustra has previously denied they could join the Big East in time for the 2012 season, may actually be able to fill the gap.

CBS Sports' Brett McMurphy reports Boise State has been in touch with the WAC about possibly stowing its non-football sports there if it needs to make a break for the Big East ahead of schedule. Broncos beat writer Brian Murphy concurs.

Either way, it sounds like one thing will finally be out of the way this week.

For more on the Mountaineers fight to leave the Big East, visit The Smoking Musket. For updates on Big East football, basketball and expansion, visit Big East Coast Bias, and stay tuned to our college conference realignment section.

2012 Big 12 Football Schedule: West Virginia, TCU Hosting Oklahoma, According To Report

As most of the Heartland and part of Appalachia waits for the Big 12 to finally release its 2012 football schedule, a morsel or two has found its way out of hiding. Confirmations continue that the West Virginia Mountaineers appear on the slate, to the Big East's presumed lawsuitliness.

And so far, not so good for the Oklahoma Sooners:

@DeanBlevins A reliable source confirms #OU is playing new league members #TCU &#WestVirginia on the road. Another bad break w the scheduling gods.

@AaronDickens @ChuckCarltonDMN That fits with what we know -- Tech playing at TCU (hosted A&M in '11), hosting WVU (played at MU in '11).

The Big 12 may have attempted to do the simplest thing and simply slid the schedules that would've been played by Texas A&M and Missouri onto West Virginia and TCU, which would have taken approximately two minutes to do and three or four to check over. Which, of course, makes it even more amusing that the whole thing's now delayed by at least eight days.

For more college football, visit SB Nation's college football news hub.

Big 12 Schedule Has Florida State Talking West Virginia Lawsuit, Courting Oklahoma

2012 Big 12 Football Schedule Released To TV Partners, Includes West Virginia

While the public still waits to see a 2012 Big 12 football schedule, the conference has released a ten-team schedule to its TV partners, Fox Sports and ABC/ESPN, which includes the West Virginia Mountaineers and TCU Horned Frogs.

The schedule has been passed along per contract requirements with their television partners, says the Star-Telegram. According to a statement by Bob Burda, the Big 12 associate commissioner/communications, the schedule will be released publicly "in the near future."

The public release of the schedule stems from WVU's current legal battle with the Big East Conference, which has refused to allow the school to leave before the 27-month waiting period agreed to in league bylaws. A Rhode Island judge ordered West Virginia and the Big East into nonbinding mediation to resolve their competing lawsuits and an update is expected by Feb. 9.

For more college football, visit SB Nation's college football news hub.

2012 Big 12 Football Schedule Delayed Beyond Original Deadline

Just how many conference football schedules can one West Virginia team hold up?

2012 Big 12 Football Schedule To Be Released By February, Says Chuck Neinas

New Big 12 football schedules come out soon. Will they include West Virginia without somebody getting sued?