Michigan Football News: The Distances Big Ten Teams Will Cover in 2024 Football Season

The Big Ten Conference is set for a significant shake-up in 2024 with the addition of four West Coast schools: UCLA, USC, Washington, and Oregon.

This expansion will not only alter the competitive landscape but also increase travel demands for all teams involved.

For the first time, the 14 existing Big Ten schools will make trips to the Pacific Time Zone for conference games. Conversely, the four new members will frequently journey to the Midwest, leading to a variety of travel challenges across the conference.

With 18 teams in the mix, travel schedules will differ significantly from year to year, resulting in some teams facing heavier travel burdens than others.

Here is a closer look at which teams will travel the most, and which will travel the fewest. You can see a complete breakdown courtesy of Bookies.com, here.

UCLA is expected to rack up the most miles, traveling approximately 22,048 miles over six road games, which is nearly 90% of the circumference of the Earth. This total includes a long trip to Hawaii and games against Penn State and Rutgers in the Eastern Time Zone.

Following UCLA, Washington, USC, and Oregon will also have substantial travel schedules. Among the existing Big Ten teams, Rutgers will travel the most, covering 9,278 miles, including a trip to USC.

Michigan State ranks 10th in travel distance with 6,770 miles, which includes a game against Oregon.

In contrast, three-time defending champion Michigan has a favorable travel schedule, coming in at 16th with 5,193 miles, primarily due to a trip to Washington.

Ohio State, a favorite to win the Big Ten, is in a similar position as Michigan, with both teams making only four road trips. Ohio State's round trip to Oregon accounts for a significant portion of its total travel for the season.

On the other end of the spectrum, Indiana has the lightest travel load at 4,895 miles, with a notable trip to UCLA on September 14.

The longest road trip of the season will see USC travel to Maryland, covering nearly 5,845 miles, while the shortest trip is the annual USC-UCLA matchup, with only 12 miles separating the two stadiums.

As the Big Ten prepares for this new chapter, the travel dynamics will undoubtedly impact teams and their performances throughout the season.