Short trips and simple bus rides are a thing of the past at West Virginia.
Since the Mountaineers left the Big East to join the Big 12 in 2012, a conference road game means a trip to the airport.
"We take planes, we don’t drive anymore," said Michael Szul, West Virginia’s senior associate athletic director for Business Operations. "But it’s been very good for us, we’re happy with it."
As speculation surrounding the Big 12 and potential expansion has increased, the impact of location and travel on the decision-making process has become a common question.
The Mountaineers, as the Big 12’s lone East Coast team, provide a little glimpse into how travel costs have impacted a school that has changed conferences in recent years.