West Virginia to the Big 12: How Long Til They'd Challenge the Big Dogs?

According to the New York Post, West Virginia will be heading off to the Big 12 in the very near future.

If this news is true—keep in mind that the Post is notorious for subpar journalism—this would be huge news for the Big 12 and the Big East, who would lose their fourth member in three months.

But the question on everyone’s mind in West Virginia is how long it would take in order for the Mountaineers to challenge in their new conference.

With Dana Holgorsen, former Oklahoma State offensive coordinator, as head coach, probably not long.

Texas is in rapid decline, and while they are bringing in an amazing recruiting class, they do that every year and it didn’t get them to a bowl last season.

The highest team in the polls right now is Oklahoma State, but they are set to lose quarterback Brandon Weeden and elite receiver Justin Blackmon. Oklahoma is going to lose Landry Jones and Ryan Broyles, while Baylor is going to be without do-it-all quarterback Robert Griffin, III.

But at this point, a move to the Big 12 would not happen until at least the 2013 season, and a lot can happen between now and then.

The Mountaineers will need to break in a new quarterback, but by that time they should have recruits specific to this new system. And they have been seriously underrated on defense the past two seasons.

WVU already has a Big-12-style offense and its defense is much better than many of the teams have shown this season.

Ultimately, how well they do in their new conference comes down to consistency and how well teams like Oklahoma are playing.

If the Sooners and Longhorns are turning their elite recruiting classes into something special, it is unlikely that the Mountaineers can get to the top of the league.

But if they show similar weaknesses to what they’ve done this year, West Virginia could be able to pull it all together for a season and win the Big 12 in one of its first years as a member—much like Oklahoma State is set to do this year.

That is, assuming they continue to improve between now and when they join the conference.