West Virginia Cancels 2012 FSU Game: Mountaineers May Get Sued

NBC Sports' Ben Kercheval has reported WVU may get sued by Florida State for dropping next years game: "Already in a lawsuit battle with the Big East, West Virginia might be able to add Florida State to the list of entities pursuing litigation."

On Feb. 4 Kercheval wrote that Florida State’s athletic director, Randy Spetman, told the Orlando Sentinel that FSU might sue the Mountaineers for cancelling the 2012 non-conference game with just seven months before the start of the regular season.

Spetman claims besides the $500,000 buyout, there will be other damages if FSU can't find another opponent: “You’re talking about a lot of money.”

And for FSU, it may not just be about a home game and its huge gate, it may affect its strength of schedule next year, which could affect its chances for a BCS game.

When it was first reported that WVU was dropping the game, writers like ESPN's Andrea Adelson claimed it was the first step in the Mountaineers' early departure from the Big East.

She writes, "If you wanted even more proof that West Virginia was intent on leaving the Big East for 2012, no matter what the courts say, here it is."

A lot of these claims were based on rumors that Boise State was going to be able to break its contract with the Mountain West Conference and join the Big East in 2012. But these rumors were dashed when it was confirmed that Boise State won't be able to leave until 2013.

So what does the cancellation of the FSU game mean? We do know if WVU joins the Big 12 in 2012, they will have a nine-game conference schedule. This would only allow them three non-conference games.

Why, then, haven't they notified any of the other five non-conference teams on their current schedule that they will be dropped?

We also know that  the Big 12 Conference has delayed the release of their 2012 football schedule to fans. Mitch Vingle of the Charleston Gazette writes "the Big 12 delay raises questions."

Vingle explains that interim Big 12 commissioner Chuck Neinas had recently promised the schedule would be released by February 1.

We still don't know where this whole thing is headed. We don't know if it will be settled through mediation or if it will be dragged through a lengthy court process.

It's tying a lot of athletic directors' hands. SB Nation's Jason Kirk, in his article "2012 Big 12 Football Schedule Delayed Beyond Original Deadline" asks, "How many conference football schedules can one West Virginia team hold up?"

Obviously this cancellation won't be the last announcement WVU will be making on the subject. More information will have to be released that gives a clear message about whether or not the Mountaineers play their football in the Big 12 or the Big East next season.

It's just that the Big 12, the Big East, Maryland, Marshall and James Madison hope a decision comes soon.