No. 4 Penn State climbed out of a two-touchdown hole to force overtime against USC on Saturday at the Los Angeles Coliseum. There, the Nittany Lions became the second Big Ten team to snag a road win (by a score of 33-30) at least two time zones away.
PENN STATE SURVIVES IN OVERTIME 🫨@PennStateFball pic.twitter.com/UouAzsFIGx
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 12, 2024
Nine of USC’s 12 games this season will involve travel of at least two times zones for one of the competing teams. It’s no surprise, but it is a stark reminder of the initiation process for the Trojans and the other former Pac-12 converts in their debut Big Ten season.
This season, in 11 conference matchups in the Big Ten in which one team traveled at least two time zones, only two away teams emerged triumphant (Indiana’s victory at UCLA and Penn State’s victory at USC). There are nine away losses clocked in such games, and USC is at the center of two of them.
On Sept. 21, then-No. 18 Michigan conquered then-No. 11 USC, 27-24, at Michigan Stadium. Two weeks later, Minnesota served then-No. 13 USC another upset with a 24-17 takedown at Huntington Bank Stadium.
In the 11 Big Ten contests in which a team traveled far, however, seven of the victorious teams were favored. Minnesota’s stunting of USC was the most significant upset by Vegas’ odds.
Other away-team conference losses include Northwestern at Washington (24-5) on Sept. 21; Washington at Rutgers (21-18) on Sept. 27; Wisconsin at then-No. 13 USC (24-17) on Sept. 28; Michigan State at Oregon (31-10) on Oct. 4; then-No. 10 Michigan at Washington in the championship rematch (27-17) on Oct. 5; UCLA at then-No. 7 Penn State (27-11) on Oct. 5; and Washington at Iowa (40-16) on Saturday.
Across the Big Ten and ACC, road teams traveling two time zones or more are 11-11 against the spread. That record includes nonconference games, like when TCU (Big 12) beat Stanford (ACC), 34-27, at Stanford Stadium in Week 1.
In ACC and Big Ten conference games, though, road teams traveling two-plus time zones are 7-9 against the spread (after Penn State).
All odds are bound for a slight shift with No. 2 Ohio State traveling to No. 3 Oregon and Minnesota suiting up at UCLA on Saturday night.
(Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA Today)
