Conference Realignment 2011: New York Post Says WVU on the Way to Big 12

Well, here is the news that West Virginia fans have been waiting for...if true.

The New York Post is reporting that WVU is set to replace Missouri, when the Tigers eventually head out to the SEC. The Post article goes on to say.

The Big 12 held a board of directors meeting yesterday, and a source said the league's plan is to hold on to Missouri, which wants to leave for the SEC, for one more year then replace it with West Virginia.

This is huge news for WVU fans that have been destroying the Internet to find realignment info for the past two months, ever since Syracuse and Pitt announced a move to the ACC. The Mountaineer faithful's first choice seemed to be the SEC, but the Big 12 became an attractive locale since Texas and Oklahoma decided to stick around.

WVU will fit in well athletically. The Mountaineers have solid football and basketball programs that should be competitive right away. The soccer teams might dominate the league, and the Olympic sports should show well also.

The biggest hurdle will certainly be the travel. The closest school right now is over 800 miles away, but this is the direction we are going in now. Don't forget, Boise State may be in the new Big East.

With WVU seemingly on the way out, it will be interesting to see what happens to the football version of the Big East. Rutgers and UConn are still waiting for the ACC to call, and Louisville and Cincinnati will certainly be hoping that the Big 12 goes back to "12" teams. The future of the Big East just continues to get more and more dire. I guess that proactive approach didn't pay off.

UPDATE: Multiple sources are now reporting that WVU is headed to the Big 12. Brett McMurphy from CBS, who has been all over realignment just tweeted this...

@McMurphyCBS: West Virginia to Big 12 w/in 24-48 hours after Missouri withdraws from Big 12, sources tell @CBSSports bit.ly/vPPq77

Very telling news right there.

MORE UPDATES: Pete Thamel of the New York Times writes that a source with direct knowledge of the situation says WVU has "applied and are accepted" to the Big 12.

Thamel also writes that the Big 12 is planning to stay at 10 teams...for now.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Mitch Vingle of the Charleston Gazette just tweeted this....

@MitchVingle: Confirmed. WVU to Big 12 is a done deal. There will be a press conference with the Big 12 folks tomorrow.

And that might do it folks.