Penn State leaving early to head to USC, hoping to buck alarming Big Ten travel trend

For the first time since the Big Ten expanded to include UCLA, USC, Oregon, and Washington, James Franklin will need to lead the Penn State Nittany Lions across the country from a conference matchup. In Week 7, USC hosts Penn State in a marquee conference matchup and one that could spoil Franklin’s chance of finally getting into the College Football Playoff, though also an expanded version. 

Following a Week 6 loss to Minnesota, the 3-2 Trojans are unranked, so a loss to Lincoln Riley’s squad could significantly drop Penn State from its standing as the No. 4 team in the country. Despite the early-season losses, USC’s roster is still very talented and led by veteran quarterback Miller Moss. Still, that’s not the only reason that Franklin should be on high alert in Week 7. 

Big Ten teams traveling two or more time zones have gone 1-8 this season, with the lone victory coming courtesy of the Indiana Hoosiers over UCLA at the Rose Bowl. Both of USC’s losses came at least two time zones away and this will be Penn State’s first trip out of Eastern Time this season. 

To compound the travel issue, the State College airport is not large enough to accommodate Penn State’s cross-country travel, so the Nittany Lions are leaving on Thursday, not Friday as UCLA did to come to Happy Valley last week. The team will first make the 90-minute drive to Harrisburg before boarding a plane there and leaving from the Pennsylvania state capital’s larger airport with a longer runway. 

As Franklin explained to reporters this week, the runway at the State College airport, just 10 minutes from campus, is not long enough to support a large enough and heavy enough aircraft needed to make the flight to LA without stopping to refuel. Franklin has taken this opportunity to lobby for improvements to the airport, and maybe help from the Big Ten accomplish that. 

While the 90-minute bus ride to Harrisburg may be inconvenient, it’s probably best that Penn State leaves early for LA because winning on the road in the Big Ten has become even tougher when the conference stretches from Piscataway, New Jersey to Los Angeles, California and Seattle Washington. An extra day to adjust the body clock will be valuable, though a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff or 11:30 a.m. PT, is more beneficial to the team from central Pennsylvania. 

The trend of Big Ten teams traveling two or more time zones being 1-8 is alarming, but it’s softened by the fact that Ohio State, Oregon, and Penn State, the undisputed top three teams in the conference, have all yet to make that type of road trip. Penn State and Ohio State are both heading to the West Coast this weekend with the No. 3 Ducks hosting the No. 2 Buckeyes at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. 

The extended travel and difference in body clock may help Rutgers beat Washington or even Minnesota take down USC, but the teams competing for the Big Ten title might start to buck the trend this weekend.