Ouch. This must hurt if you’re a Mountaineers fan.

After submitting paperwork to the SEC (and apparently trying to get into the ACC too – as a backup plan?), West Virginia has been denied admittance to both conferences. CBS’ Brett McMurphy, a leading source on conference realignment, broke the news on his twitter account earlier today.

Following the departures of Syracuse and Pitt from the Big East for the more prominent and talented ACC, WVU decided it would be prudent to get while the getting was good, and sent their paperwork, something many (including yours truly) figured meant they were pretty certain they’d get in. Athletic Director Oliver Luck talked up the positives of his school, but that evidently wasn’t enough for the conferences to consider adding the Mountaineers.

I don’t blame WVU for wanting to ditch the Big East, which may dissolve at some point anyway. Unfortunately for them, they’ll have to wait until another conference is willing to take them. They may not end up with their first choice, either, but beggars can’t be choosers.

As for the SEC, different articles say different things. Some claim that Missouri is the SEC’s choice for a 14th member, while others are certain it’s Louisville. The Mizzou idea has been backed by the Kansas City Star, who has sources claiming that not only is the SEC interested in MU, but that they have put an offer on the table and are waiting for the Big XII to dissolve before they finalize anything.

As always, stay tuned for more details.