This is not a knock on the decision to leave the lofty perch WVU rose to and  maintained in the Big East. It’s not a critique of the move to the Big 12, where others are, put simply, better equipped. It’s not even a projection for performance.

Rather, middle-of-the-pack has to do with certain measurable qualifications. Namely, football stadium capacity and finances for the football program and athletic  department. Where WVU once had the best or nearly the best in the Big East, the Mountaineers will instead be above average in the Big 12. For now.

“It’s a step up now,” he said. “The Big East is the most competitive conference I’ve been in. Period. From top to bottom, it’s the most competitive conference I’ve been in – within the conference. The Big 12, as far as setting the standard from a facilities standpoint, from a recruiting standpoint, from a TV exposure standpoint, to an academic standpoint, is something that they set the bar very, very high.

“I know that West Virginia is capable of adding to that. From a fan-base perspective, from how many people go to the games, it’s something we’re going to have to evaluate and try to make it as good as we can to be able to compete.”