PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) — If and when Missouri leaves the Big 12 for the SEC, West Virginia will be extended an invitation to join the Big 12, CBSSports.com’s Brett McMurphy reports.

The Mountaineers are expected to receive their invite within 48 hours of Missouri’s withdrawl. WVU would join Pitt, Syracuse and TCU, which was set to join in 2012, as members to leave the Big East in the past two months. Pitt and Syracuse have accepted invites to the ACC and TCU altered its course, joining the Big 12.

The Big East has been frantically trying to piece together new schools for invites in order to preserve the conference’s long-term stability and remain an automatic qualifier for the BCS. With the report of West Virginia leaving, that all comes into question.

Adding WVU to the list of departed Big East members currently leaves the conference with five football league members: UConn, Rutgers, USF, Louisville and Cincinnati.

Reports have surfaced of a possible merger between the Big East and Mountain West Conference. The Big East is currently interested in Navy and Air Force and reportedly has its sights set on UCF, Houston, SMU and Boise State. BYU and Temple have recently entered the conversation as well.