West Virginia University needs to be savvy when addressing potential conference realignment scenarios, new athletic director Oliver Luck said Monday.
Luck said he would like to see the Big East continue in its current state, which includes eight members in football and 16 in basketball.
"I certainly think it's safe to say that we'd love to see the status quo continue, but like every other university, I think we need to be smart, strategic and try to figure out if X, Y and Z happened, what are our alternatives," Luck said. "We are talking to a lot of folks to make sure we do have potential opportunities should certain contingencies take place."
Big 12 members Colorado and Nebraska have announced their departures for the Pac-10 and Big Ten, respectively. Administrators at Texas and Oklahoma plan to hold meetings this week to determine their conference futures.
Luck said WVU's location in the East and its popularity on network television for basketball and football games makes the university an attraction for potential suitors.
"Obviously it's a challenging time within intercollegiate athletics given all the talk of conference realignment," Luck said. "I think our university has a tremendous opportunity."
WVU President James Clements hired Luck last week and introduced him at the news conference in a building attached to WVU's football stadium that opened in Morgantown in 1980, Luck's junior season. He ranks fourth on the school's all-time passing list and led WVU to a Peach Bowl win over Florida in his final game.
The 50-year-old Luck, who was president of Major League Soccer's Houston Dynamo and served as CEO of NFL Europe, will replace the retiring Ed Pastilong on July 1. Before taking the job, Luck stepped down from the WVU Board of Governors where he served for two years.
Pastilong will serve as athletic director emeritus through 2012.
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