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 announced with 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.

Luck said the new relationship puts WVU among peers that are also large, public, flagship institutions for their states and have strong academic and research programs. Athletically, it’s a “challenging and competitive” group, he said, populated by schools with “tremendous legacies, passionate fan bases.”

It’s also lucrative: Luck said WVU should get about $18 million to $19 million a year in television payouts, about double what it gets from the Big East. Payments are being prorated for the first three years at 50 percent, 67 percent and 87 percent, he said, reaching 100 percent in the fourth year.

“It’s a very healthy television payout, and it’s important we maintain our self-sufficient status,” Luck said. “With this move, we’ll be in an excellent position to do so.”

A spokesman for the Big 12 didn’t immediately comment, but the conference released its football schedule about an hour after the announcement. West Virginia makes its Big 12 debut 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.

Luck didn’t rule out the possibility of a nonconference game against archrival Pitt after the 2012 season but said that both schools have nine nonconference games and a matchup would be “difficult to schedule.”

“It’s pretty obvious there will be no Backyard Brawl” in 2012, he said.



OU, OSU unveil

Big 12 schedules



With the announcement on Tuesday that West Virginia has settled its lawsuit with the Big East Conference and will join the Big 12 in July, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State released their 2012 conference football schedules.

Oklahoma opens Big 12 play at home on Sept. 22 against Kansas State before its first Big 12 road game on Oct. 6 at Texas Tech. The 107th meeting between Oklahoma and Texas will be held in Dallas on Oct. 13 as the Sooners look for their third straight win in the series. The OU-Texas game is followed by a home game against Kansas on Oct. 20.

November opens with a road trip to Ames, Iowa on Nov. 3 when Oklahoma meets Iowa State. Baylor comes to Norman on Nov. 10 followed by OU’s first ever trip to Morgantown, W. Va., to take on conference newcomer West Virginia.

Bedlam returns to Norman for the first time since 2009 as Oklahoma hosts Oklahoma State on Nov. 24. The Sooners close out their regular season on Dec. 1 in Fort Worth, Texas, at conference newcomer TCU.

Oklahoma State begins defense of its Big 12 title on Sept. 29 when it hosts Texas. It will then have a week off before travelling to Lawrence, Kan., on Oct. 13 to take on Kansas.

The following week is Homecoming when the Cowboys welcome Iowa State to Stillwater. TCU then pays a visit to Boone-Pickens Stadium on Oct. 27.

OSU begins November on the road in Manhattan, Kan., to play Kansas State before hosting West Virginia on Nov. 10. The Cowboys close out their home schedule on Nov. 17 against Texas Tech.

After travelling to Norman for Bedlam on Nov. 24, Oklahoma State ends the regular season on Dec. 1 at Baylor.

– Phoenix staff report