[DaKCMan AP]

Former Mountaineer quarterback Major Harris was quoted yesterday as saying that he was “hearing a little buzz about the SEC” but “that’s just people talking.” Could that be all it took to spawn the new chatter? Possibly.

Speaking to a well-positioned source inside an SEC institution today, we have been told — again — that the SEC did not deny WVU’s entry into the league when the school reached out to conference brass last month. But they weren’t bearhugged as Texas A&M was, either.

WVU remains a fallback choice due to the small population and small number of cable households inside its state borders. Academics are also an issue with some presidents in the league.

However, if Missouri stays in the Big 12, the rest of the landscape stabilizes, and the SEC faces multiple years as a 13-school league… then WVU might become a lot more attractive.

If that occurs, expect the SEC to tout WVU’s fan passion, similar culture, and its close proximity to Pittsburgh and other major metro areas as part of its spin.

For now — from what we’re hearing — it’s Missouri or bust. And the SEC isn’t sweating Mizzou’s decision. West Virginia remains a deep fallback option. The only other school that our sources continue to mention as a possibility is Florida State.

We trust our sources because they’ve been right in the past and because they’re coming from different areas of the league. But when it comes to the many variables and politics involved in conference expansion, we wouldn’t be shocked if the SEC announced the addition of North Dakota State this afternoon.

http://www.mrsec.com/