Penn State’s decision to join the Big...

Penn State’s decision to join the Big Ten Conference has strengthened talk among other major Eastern football independents about forming an all-sports conference, West Virginia officials said.

Presidents and athletic directors from West Virginia and five other schools--Temple, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Syracuse and Rutgers--met in Philadelphia to discuss a conference, said West Virginia University President Neil Bucklew. Nothing definite was decided, Bucklew said, but he added that West Virginia is making “serious explorations” into an all-sports conference.