Posted by Chip Patterson

A Big 12 football season without Texas A&M and Missouri began to take shape earlier this month when both the conference and the SEC released their 2012 regular season schedule. The Tigers to the SEC East and the Aggies to the SEC West happened quickly, but the fine print of the transaction required much more work.

On Tuesday, the Big 12 announced their settlement with both schools as they make their official exit in time for the 2012-2013 academic year. Texas A&M and Missouri will no longer be members of the conference effective June 30, 2012. In order to get approval from the Big 12's eight continuing member institutions, some sacrifices needed to be made. For starters, the league will withhold an estimated $12.41 million from the revenues otherwise distributable to each school. You can check out the official wording for Missouri and Texas A&M below:

The Conference will withhold an estimated $12,410,000 from the revenues otherwise distributable to the University. In addition, Missouri agreed that it would waive any claim to any of the benefits received by the Big 12 Conference from its television contract with Fox Sports, scheduled to commence July 1, 2012. Also, Missouri agreed to pay the Big 12 Conference for its share of the actual cost of officiating expenses for 2011-12 athletic year as it has done in previous years, in the approximate amount of $500,000.

Texas A&M's agreement, nearly identical to Missouri's just without the inclusion of the officiating costs.

The Conference will withhold an estimated $12,410,000 from Texas A&M's projected distribution for fiscal year 2012. However, the parties agreed that A&M will receive a portion of the benefit received by the Big 12 Conference from the signing of its television contract with Fox Sports, scheduled to commence July 1, 2012, and certain other concessions.

Big 12 Conference Commissioner Chuck Neinas called both agreements "fair" in their respective releases, and with the final details settled both schools can focus on their future in the SEC.

For all the latest expansion rumors and headlines, check out our Conference Realignment Home.

Keep up with the latest college football news from around the country. From the opening kick of the year all the way through the offseason, CBSSports.com has you covered with this daily newsletter. View a preview.

Get CBSSports.com College Football updates on Facebook   

Posted by Chip Patterson

With both the ACC and Big East still trying to work out last minute complications in the 2012 regular season schedule, the league's have needed member schools to make some adjustments. Miami and South Florida have announced a change in their scheduled meeting for 2012, from Nov. 24 to Nov. 17.

The in-state battle has been moved "in order to accommodate the conference scheduling needs of both programs," according to the official release. The 2012 meeting at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens is the second to last scheduled meeting in the series. The Hurricanes will travel to Tampa to face the Bulls on Nov. 30, 2013. Miami currently leads the series 3-1, but the pair have split the last two meetings - both decided by a field goal.

The ACC and Big East are both accustomed to releasing their regular season football schedules by this point in the calendar year. The ACC has been working around the challenges presented by by both West Virginia's cancellation with Florida State, and Georgia Tech's rearranging in order to kick off the season with a Labor Day showdown against Virginia Tech.

According to CBSSports.com's Brett McMurphy, the Big East is close to adding Temple as their eighth team for 2012. If this rescheduling has been done to accommodate both conferences, that would suggest that the ACC and Big East are nearing a conclusion to this headache of a process.

Keep up with the latest college football news from around the country. From the opening kick of the year all the way through the offseason, CBSSports.com has you covered with this daily newsletter. View a preview.

Get CBSSports.com College Football updates on Facebook   

Posted by Chip Patterson

West Virginia's decision to cancel their Sept. 8 game with Florida State in the 2012 schedule on Feb. 3 left the Seminoles in a bind as they scrambled to fill the slot for their seventh home game. On Wednesday, the school announced that the Mountaineers would be replaced with a visit from Savannah State.

“West Virginia’s announcement at the 11th hour really put us in a very difficult position,” said FSU Director of Athletics Randy Spetman in the official release.  “We contacted every BCS school that had an opening in hopes of replacing WVU with a BCS opponent, but none of those few schools could make it work either because of our dates or theirs.  It is important for our fans to realize that the schools we contacted during the search did not pass on the 2012 game out of concern for the competition, but because of challenges they faced with schedule changes this late in the year. 

  “We worked with Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Cincinnati, Syracuse and Pitt to name a few along with our current non-conference opponents and television partners, but reached a point where our options simply dried up. We might have been able to play on the road at some BCS schools this season, but that would cost our fans and the university one of just seven chances to play a home game and also would have a negative impact on our local economy.”

Florida State's announcement included a guarantee that the entire 2012 schedule will be released by the ACC "shortly." The release of the regular season schedule was pushed back by the league because of "unusual circumstances" (West Virginia's cancellation), so fans can assume the full ACC regular season schedule should be on the way.

The school has already predicted a huge loss in revenue with West Virginia dipping out at the last minute. The first loss in revenue begins with the change in ticket sales. Single-game tickets for the Mountaineers early-season visit - likely to be a Top 25 matchup - was set for $70. On Wednesday, the school announced a $40 single-game ticket price for the Savannah State game.

For more on Florida State, be sure to follow the Seminoles RapidReports.

Keep up with the latest college football news from around the country. From the opening kick of the year all the way through the offseason, CBSSports.com has you covered with this daily newsletter. View a preview.

Get CBSSports.com College Football updates on Facebook   

Posted by Chip Patterson

In a move directly tied to West Virginia's arrival in the Big 12, the Mountaineers were forced to back out of a scheduled Sept. 8 contest with Florida State. The school paid Florida State a $500,000 cancellation fee but the total loss could end up being much more expensive, according to one school official.

"We'll probably lose $2.5 million in ticket sales," assistant athletic director Elliot Finebloom told ESPN.com. The school has been scrambling to replace West Virginia on the home schedule, a task that could end up costing Florida State an additional $1 million. Finebloom also explained the economic importance of keeping that date a home game on the schedule.

“Seven home games is something every business in town counts on, from hotels to restaurants,” Finebloom said. “People think it’s about the athletic department wanting to make more money, but we have a responsibility to area businesses who count on seven home games.”

The ACC regular season schedule had been released at this point in 2011, but Florida State's efforts to replace West Virginia are one of the "unusual circumstances" pushing back the release of the 2012 schedule.

The ACC issued a release late last week to explain the delay:

"As has been documented, there are a number of unusual circumstances beyond the control of the ACC and its member schools that have directly impacted a number of our school's nonconference schedules, which in turn effects the development and completion of the overall schedule."

According to Coley Harvey, of the Orlando Sentinel, the Seminoles have reached out to more than 50 schools to try and fill the date. As many as 31 of those have been FBS programs, reportedly including Boise State, Texas A&M, Syracuse, Rutgers, Wyoming, Arkansas, and Pittsburgh.

For more on Florida State, be sure to follow Seminole RapidReports.

Keep up with the latest college football news from around the country. From the opening kick of the year all the way through the offseason, CBSSports.com has you covered with this daily newsletter. View a preview.

Get CBSSports.com College Football updates on Facebook   

Posted by Chip Patterson

UPDATE: CBSSports.com's Brett McMurphy confirms the Big 12 schedule will not be released on Friday (Feb. 10).

The idea that the 2012 Big 12 conference schedule would be released on Friday (today) reportedly was just "the wishful thinking" of Texas Tech athletic directory Kirby Hocutt.

The Oklahoman's Travis Haney, citing a source within the league, says that Big 12 officials are "getting close" to completing the 2012 football schedule. Unfortunately for Big 12 fans - especially West Virginia fans - the slate will likely not be set by the end of this week.

CBSSports.com's Brett McMurphy reported that the Big East and West Virginia have reached a $20 million settlement that would allow the Mountaineers to compete in the Big 12 for the upcoming season. The close timing of the buyout negotiations and the Big 12's intentions of putting out a 2012 conference schedule led to the concerns of West Virginia appearing on two different conference schedules. However, with legal issues behind them, the Mountaineers should be clear to complete a 10-team conference for competition in 2012.

Keep up with the latest college football news from around the country. From the opening kick of the year all the way through the offseason, CBSSports.com has you covered with this daily newsletter. View a preview.

Get CBSSports.com College Football updates on Facebook   

Posted by Chip Patterson

Texas A&M's move to the SEC after the completion of this academic year will end many of the Aggies' traditional football and basketball rivalries. Many have mourned the end of the annual Texas-Texas A&M matchups, but that won't be the only Lone Star rivalry that is coming to an end. Texas Tech will also no longer face the Aggies on a regular basis, and Red Raiders athletic director Kirby Hocutt does not believe it will happen again "any time soon."

Hocutt told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal this week that the Red Raiders won't schedule Texas A&M in any sport unless the two schools commit to compete in all sports.

“We discussed it with all our head coaches,” Hocutt said, “and that’s something we as an athletic department and we as a group of coaches feel strongly about at this time.

“Our football schedule is set for the next two years. We’ll see if anything happens in the near future. But if down the road they’re interested in having that conversation, we would be willing to engage in it as well.”

Hocutt acknowledged that he has had conversations with Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne, but does not foresee any developments occurring in the near future.

“Any time you lose those games it’s unfortunate,” Hocutt said. “And it’s unfortunate that they’re not going to be in our league as we move forward. But that’s water under the bridge and if the rivalry can be resumed at some point in the future, then that would be considered at that time.”

The loss of the Texas Tech - Texas A&M rivalry is just another casualty of conference realignment. For all the latest news and updates, check out our Conference Realignment home.

Keep up with the latest college football news from around the country. From the opening kick of the year all the way through the offseason, CBSSports.com has you covered with this daily newsletter. View a preview.

Get CBSSports.com College Football updates on Facebook   

Posted by Chip Patterson

With very little warning, the ACC made one of the most prominent moves in conference realignment in the middle of the 2011 regular season with the addition of Pittsburgh and Syracuse from the Big East. The bylaw-mandated 27-month exit period was thought to be negotiable, but all signs from Big East commissioner John Marinatto indicate that the league will hold all departing members to full withdrawal process.

Following the process outlined in the bylaws would hold off the conference move until the 2014-2015 academic year. While the ACC has made it clear they are prepared to work with the Big East to get Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the league sooner, they have not made any legal efforts to expedite the process. With the release of the ACC regular season schedule coming in early February, it is beginning to look unlikely that either school will be in the ACC for the 2012 season.

"You never say never, but it's unlikely there would be major changes once [the schedule] is set," Mike Finn, ACC associate commissioner in charge of football communications, told The Charlotte Observer.

The SEC and Pac-12 have both released their conference schedules for 2012, and the rest of the major conferences will likely follow suit in the next several weeks. The ACC released the 2011 league schedule on Feb. 14.

While the ACC seems comfortable waiting out the exit period, West Virginia is having a much more difficult time leaving the Big East. Both the school and the conference have filed competing lawsuits regarding West Virginia's plans to join the Big 12, and a Rhode Island judge has ordered both parties to enter non-binding mediation. West Virginia hopes to reach a settlement allowing the school to join the Big 12 in time for the 2012 season, while the league has no plans of making exception to the bylaws. A status conference has been scheduled for Feb. 9, as both parties hope to reach a resolution before the Big East and Big 12 release their conference schedules.

When the Big East releases their schedule for 2012, I would expect to see West Virginia, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse on the slate. If the Big 12 includes West Virginia as well, it could lead to potentially massive headaches for both conferences. It seems as though the ACC is content avoiding the legalities and welcoming their new additions at a later date.

Keep up with the latest college football news from around the country. From the regular season all the way through the bowl games, CBSSports.com has you covered with this daily newsletter. View a preview. Like us? Tell our Facebook page.

Get CBSSports.com College Football updates on Facebook   

Posted by Bryan Fischer

Memphis has been looking for an invitation to the SEC (really) but they're not the only program looking to take a big step up in competition.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego State is all but begging for an invite to the Big 12. Athletic director Jim Sterk has passed information about the school and surrounding television market to Big 12 officials, including interim commissioner Chuck Neinas.

“We’ve been proactive as far as getting information out and just making sure their folks know what a valuable commodity San Diego State is,” Sterk told the Union-Tribune. “We’ve been able to show how well we capture the San Diego television market in the last couple of years and have a program that’s really on the rise and have a lot of things going for it. We’re a member of the Mountain West Conference, and we think it’s a very good conference. But if things realign, you never know how the sands are moving.”

The Big 12 officially welcomed TCU to the league on Monday, adding the school in the wake of Texas A&M's departure to the SEC in 2012. The league may continue to expand, possibly back to 12 members, or choose to remain at 10. Leaders are still waiting on a decision from Missouri, which is mulling their conference affiliation options and could choose to follow the Aggies to the SEC.

BYU, Louisville and West Virginia are the schools frequently brought up if the Big 12 is to expand again but Sterk wanted to make officials aware that San Diego State is just as close geographically to schools such as Texas as BYU is.

“If they look west, who knows what happens?” Sterk said.

Neinas is familiar with the school, having advised former athletic director Jeff Schemmel to hire football coach Rocky Long in 2006 as part of his consulting business.