A lot of unknowns and don’t-know-yet responses to questions on tonight’s conference call.

There were two lead revelations. Chuck Neinas spoke of the delay and drove aggressively out of the way of any inclusion of Louisville.

 

He said the delay was because the Big 12 suddenly realized adding WVU left the Big 12 with 11 teams because no one knew what Missouri would do. Suddenly, learned leaders in higher education did math and added 10 + 1 and wondered if, or how, they could do that, or if they needed to do that. Suddenly, that caused them to tap the breaks.

 

… no, I’m not buying that. Nor should you.

Oliver Luck said he was confident throughout, but said it would be silly to say he didn’t have his anxious moments — you know, because of 11 teams. Not a star in the senate throwing aroudn his name and reputation. And all that politicking Joe Manchin and Jay Rockefeller did yesterday? Yeah, it was actually to convince the Big 12 that … well, I guess that Missouri was leaving and WVU was an ideal 10th team.

Rubbish. 

No one knows, or is saying, what Missouri will do, but Neinas said the scheduling wouldn’t be as easy as placing WVU in Missouri’s spot, should Missouri leave. And that makes sense because of nonconference scheduling. Open dates won’t likely match up. Remember, TCU joins, too. That’s two waves in what was once still water. 

WVU has four nonconference games next season and will have to clip one of them — either at Marshall, home against Maryland, JMU at FedEx Field or at Florida State. I’d say the road trip to Florida State is off now. Marshall is Marshall, Maryland is at home and the FedEx game is perhaps more significant now because of the stage and … AND … the payday.

The Seminoles, on top of the Big 12 schedule, would be a lot. And don’t rule out Pitt.

The second revelation is that WVU, which didn’t have to pay an entry fee to the Big 12, is now a signed party to the grant of television rights, which is for for six years and gives the league stability beyond the current BCS and television contracts.

WVU will be bound to the same rights as TCU … and this is actually critical, so pay attention: WVU gets 50 percent of the normal $17 million payout in the 2012-13 academic year, then 67 percent in 2013-14, 84 percent in 2014-15 and a full 100 percent in 2015-16. So, in reality, WVU will make slightly more next year in the Big 12, if it is in the Big 12, than it would in the Big East. We assumed it would be more than double.

As for when WVU gets in, President Clements said WVU is negotiating with the Big East and sounded cool, calm and confident when he repeatedly stated WVU would be in for next season.  

To roundly answer other questions, no one knows what sports WVU may have to add. No one knows what leagues men’s soccer, wrestling, gymnastics, rifle, et. al. will be a part of next season. No one knows what will happen with beer — the Big 12 doesn’t prevent it, so it’s up to the school. Still a lot of work to be done and questions to be answered.