Big 12 Expansion: Why West Virginia, Not Louisville, Should Replace Missouri

Talks of West Virginia joining the Big 12 conference to replace Missouri were recently put on hold after it was reported that another Big East program, Louisville, could potentially be added.

The Big 12 invited WVU to join the conference earlier in the week, and believed that the program was an excellent option to replace Missouri, which is headed to the Southeastern Conference.

However reports are surfacing that West Virginia's addition to the conference has been put on hold, and that the Big 12 could be having a change of heart.

But why?

West Virginia is a no-brainer for the Big 12. The conference could use another contending football program, and Louisville is not it.

WVU is a perennial top 25 team and would instantly join in on traditional Big 12 rivalries.

The Mountaineers are currently the class of the Big East conference, in both football and basketball, with the loss of Syracuse and Pittsburgh to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

With dissolving conferences around the nation scrambling to add heavyweights and stay relevant among college football, it comes as a surprise that the Big 12 wouldn't be more than willing to ink a deal with West Virginia before someone else does.

Louisville is a fine program, but it pales in comparison to WVU.

West Virginia has dominated the Big East conference since joining in 1991, and would quickly rise to the top of the Big 12.

WVU's rabid fanbase would add to the tradition and competitiveness of the conference without question.

Without bashing Louisville, it is simply not the answer to replace Missouri.

West Virginia is a more prominent program than Missouri, and should be the Big 12's No. 1 choice to fill the void.

With the future of the Big East depending on West Virginia's move the conference would be more than happy to wave goodbye to Louisville if it meant survival.

But it's hard to imagine Big 12 administrators letting WVU get away, or is it?

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter @_Pat_Clarke