U. Missouri may be on its way out, but the Big 12 is already moving forward.

In an official statement, the Big 12 Board of Directors unanimously authorized interim commissioner Chuck Neinas to begin negotiations with Texas Christian U. to become the conference’s newest member.

“The action of the Board was without dissent. On the advice of legal counsel, The University of Missouri did not participate in the vote,” conference officials said in the statement.

According to a report by CBS Sports, TCU will accept the Big 12’s invitation and join the conference in 2012. The report goes on to state that the Big 12 presidents have formally agreed to grant the rights on Tier I and II television revenues for the next six years.

“These discussions with the Big 12 have huge implications for TCU. It will allow us to return to old rivalries, something our fans and others have been advocating for many years,” TCU Chancellor Victor Boschini Jr. said in a statement Thursday.

With the ratification of the television grants, the Big 12 is guaranteed long-term stability regardless of the course of action Missouri takes in the coming days.

TCU was initially due to join the Big East in 2012, but the conference has encountered a significant amount of instability following the departures of Pittsburgh and Syracuse for Atlantic Coast Conference.

According to The New York Times, despite never playing a game in the Big East, TCU will have to pay the $5 million exit fee, but the university is not bound to the 27-month waiting period like Pittsburgh and Syracuse.

Neinas has preached about the Big 12’s need for expansion, so TCU will not be the only school to join the conference in the near future.

“As always, we must consider what’s best for TCU and our student-athletes in this ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics. We look forward to continuing these discussions with the Big 12,” Boschini said.