SEC rejects WVU application for membership

Multiple Big East sources have told Brett McMurphy of CBSSports — the man on the forefront of Syracuse/Pitt shuffle, that WVU officials have said both the SEC and the ACC have rejected the school’s application for membership. The rejection by the ACC is no surprise; the Mountaineers have been passed over three times for ACC membership. A source with knowledge of the situation has stated “every person I’ve spoken with said the same thing: the ACC does not want WVU.” Multiple reports have stated that at least 10 schools had applied for ACC membership, including, apparently, West Virginia. It wasn’t any secret that WVU was hoping for an invite from the SEC. Appearing on MetroNews Talkline yesterday, former WVU president Dr. Gene Budig said there was “no reason to be nervous” about the school’s future in conference realignment.

A day later, you can bet the folks in Morgantown have a reason to be anxious. Despite a recent history of success in football and basketball, West Virginia, as a state, has no television market or recruiting grounds, and as an institution, is not a member of the Association of American Universities*. This is not to say that WVU could not end up in the SEC down the road; it’ll depend on how large conferences go. Currently, the SEC doesn’t need to take another program just to have a body. West Virginia doesn’t exactly provide a ton of value for the reasons mentioned above, at least not in the current pool of available programs.