Brett McMurphy of CBSSports.com is reporting that WVU is suing the Big East to likely get out of the 27 month waiting period and enter the Big 12 next season. John Marinatto and the Big East offices have received the lawsuit.
"We have been advised by West Virginia league council that the University is filing suit against the Big East Conference today (Monday) – presumably to get relief from the withdrawal provision contained in our bylaws."
I don't understand how West Virginia expects to win. Get out early? They signed a legal document saying they accepted the changes to the bylaws after the last ACC raid that made the 27 month requirement part of the conference bylaws. The Big East lawyers are going to pull that piece of paper out and tell the Mountaineers that they signed the contract and deal with it - they're staying for 27 months. Could Pitt and Syracuse join the lawsuit? Perhaps, but I would prefer for the University of Pittsburgh to stay out of this one, let WVU get out first, and then fork over how ever much West Virginia paid in the settlement.
What does this mean in the long term? Well, it could pave the way for the Panthers and the Orange to get to the ACC earlier than 2014, depending on how long it takes for both sides to settle. Now, Marinatto has been adamant about keeping all three teams for the required 27 months so you can bet that Marinatto and the Big East won't settle this quickly. Grab a drink and settle down. This just got interesting.
UPDATE: For those who want a bit of light reading, here's the full text of the lawsuit.