By the Numbers: WVU in the Big 12 - WVU Football, WVU Basketball, News - Mountaineer Sports

With Friday's news that WVU to the Big 12 is back on track and an official release announcing it expected shortly, we bring back a post from earlier this week, the first time it appeared that the Mountaineers were joining the conference:

Let's take a look at some numbers that factor in with WVU's move to the Big 12.

When it comes to filling a stadium, well, the Mountaineers have a similar to task to what many in the Big 12 face. Milan Puskar Stadium's official capacity of 60,000 is greater than half the current members (including TCU, which is joining the conference) and less than the other half (including Missouri, which would have to leave in order for WVU to join).

The smallest stadium would be TCU's current allotment of 44,358 seats, though the current renovations the school is working on will lower that number to 40,000 with room to expand to 50,000. The highest capacity, it's no surprise, is Texas Memorial Stadium, where the Longhorns play in front of up to 100,119 fans at any given home game.

In terms of basketball, the Mountaineers stack up similarly, with the Coliseum holding more than six Big 12 teams and less than four. The Horned Frogs and Longhorns again represent the bottom and top of the league on the hard court as well.

Greg Van Zant's baseball team would have the smallest capacity of any Big 12 team, though Iowa State no longer fields a team at all.

A major question surrounding this entire situation is the distance between Morgantown and whatever new conference rivals the Mountaineers would be traveling to.

Last week, we were hitting the road for a drive to and from Syracuse that took about seven and a half hours. This weekend, we're prepared for a trip that'll take roughly an hour less as we head to Piscataway, N.J.

Whenever West Virginia joins the Big 12, there won't be any driving.

According to Google Maps, the closest school to Morgantown is Iowa State at about 14 and a half hours away. Getting to Lubbock to play Texas Tech would set us back over a day by car. Natural rivals won't exist.

If you're one of those Mountaineers fans that doesn't miss a game, home or away, you'd better have pretty deep pockets to keep up the streak with five destinations estimated at over 19 hours by car.

Start filling up the tanks on those RVs.

As far as success against the teams currently in the Big 12, WVU has faired better in football than in men's basketball. On the gridiron, the Mountaineers hold an 8-4 record against teams that it would face in the Big 12, while the basketball squad is even at 4-4 against those league teams.

And if you'd like a random fact to hold you over with absolutely no impact on anything at all, try this one out – when the Mountaineers join the Big 12, the Mountaineer will no longer be the only mascot in his league with a gun. Texas Tech's Raider Red and Oklahoma State's Pistol Pete each tote firearms.

Here's a look at more information and numbers regarding the Big 12:

Quick Facts:

Stadium Capacities:

Bowl Lineup: