WVU settles Big East lawsuit, will join Big 12

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University announced Tuesday it has settled a lawsuit with the Big East for an unspecified amount, clearing the way for the conference power Mountaineers to join the Big 12 in July in time for the fall football season.

Athletic Director Oliver Luck said the terms of the deal were confidential and WVU wouldn't release details. But Luck said no state, taxpayer, tuition or other academic dollars will be used in the settlement.

A person familiar with the agreement said the settlement totaled $20 million but did not know how much money would come from the university and how much the Big 12 may contribute. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because financial terms were not being made in the announcement of the agreement.

Luck said the funding will come only from private sources and money that athletics raised independently.

WVU has already paid half of the required $5 million exit fee to the Big East.

Luck planned a news conference to discuss the deal later Tuesday morning.

A spokesman for the Big 12 didn't immediately comment on the deal, but the conference released its football schedule about an hour after the announcement. West Virginia will make its Big 12 debut on Sept. 29 at home against Baylor.

The Mountaineers and their explosive offense went 10-3 last season and finished ranked in the Top 25. West Virginia capped off the season with a record-setting 70-33 victory over Clemson in the Orange Bowl.

WVU sued the Big East in Monongalia County Circuit Court in Morgantown in November, challenging its bylaws in a bid to join the Big 12 in time for the 2012 season.

The Big East countersued in Rhode Island four days later, arguing that WVU had breached its contract with the conference and should remain in the Big East for another two years as required in the bylaws. In late December, the judge there denied WVU's motion to dismiss.

Luck said the Big 12 gives WVU "significant advantages" over the Big East.

"The Big 12 is a strong and vibrant conference academically and athletically," he said in a statement. "We look forward to the potential academic and athletic partnerships and financial opportunities that membership in the Big 12 offers."

WVU President James Clements called the partnership with the Big 12 "an investment in WVU's future."

Big East Commissioner John Marinatto had repeatedly said West Virginia would not be allowed to leave until the 2014 football season.