Big 12 move bumps up travel time, costs for West Virginia

10:14 AM ET

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. During their time in the Big East, travel was shorter and simpler for the Mountaineers, but the move to the Big 12 has sparked a jump in travel expenses and resulted in longer travel days.

Since joining the Big 12 prior to the 2012-2013 school year, West Virginia has seen its team travel expenses increase by an average of about $3 million per year. In West Virginia’s first three years in the Big 12, the university’s athletic department …

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