How Big Ten Travel Travel Is Impacting Oregon Ducks, Dan Lanning

It’s been a successful start to the No. 4 Oregon Ducks’ tenure in the Big Ten. After going undefeated in conference play and winning the 2024 Big Ten Championship, there hasn’t been a whole lot for the Ducks to complain about.

Off the field, however, there have still been some issues that have come up for the conference newcomers, including uneven travel.

Oregon Leads The Conference In Travel

dan lanning oregon ducks big ten nil recruiting transfer portal travel penn state rutgers northwestern illinois michigan — Jul 23, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Oregon head coach Dan Lanning speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

The Ducks lead the Big Ten in most miles traveled this season with 8,128. The top four teams that will travel the most in 2025 are the four former Pac-12 programs.

Following the four newcomers in mileage are East Coast programs, such as Rutgers and Maryland. The schools located in the Midwest seemingly have an advantage when it comes to travel, falling at the bottom of the list.

The Ducks are set to travel to Rutgers and Penn State, as well as Iowa, Northwestern and Washington in 2025.

Ahead of Oregon’s week 3 trip to Illinois to face the Wildcats, Ducks coach Dan Lanning revealed his routine during long trips.

“Yeah, have a book. Read a little bit of a book. Do a little bit of film review,” Lanning said. “Look at some scripts for walk-through some game day prep, like, as far as coaches meeting, what that looks like, you know, decisions that are usually getting made on Thursday night anyway, just not necessarily on a plane.”

While the team as a whole will spend a lot of time flying, which could create a disadvantage in terms of fatigue or less prep time, a concern that many across the country had about conference realignment included how fans will travel. Schools on both the West Coast and the East Coast require fans to travel further when they’re away, which can create more of a homefield advantage for the host team.

Full List in Miles:

Oregon: 8,128

UCLA: 7,606

USC: 7,306

Washington: 7,023

Rutgers: 5,230

Michigan: 4,241

Maryland: 4,224

Minnesota: 4,113

Penn State: 3,829

Nebraska: 3,790

Michigan State: 3,777

Northwestern: 3,719

Indiana: 3,472

Wisconsin: 3,195

Ohio State: 3,033

Iowa: 2,943

Purdue: 2,736

Illinois: 2,735

MORE: Three Reasons Why Bucky Irving Could Catapult Tampa Bay Buccaneers

MORE: Oregon Ducks Battling SEC Program For Five-Star Wide Receiver Recruit Kesean Bowman

MORE: Oregon Ducks Predicted To Host First-Round College Football Playoff Game in Autzen Stadium

MORE: Oregon Ducks' Dan Lanning Addresses Quarterback Austin Novosad Injury

MORE: Unsuspecting Oregon Ducks Linebacker Among Nation's Best Defensive Grades

Oregon With Uneven Prep Time

Another challenge for the Ducks this season is the unequal prep time the squad has between games compared to their opponents.

Almost every game this season, including the upcoming Northwestern game, the opposing team has a day or more to focus on Oregon than the Ducks have to focus on the opponent.

“There’s seven games where our opponent has more time to prep or equal to us,” Lanning said ahead of the trip to play the Wildcats. “But they always have additional time.”

When asked what his thoughts were on how the Big Ten can make things more equitable, Lanning stayed discreet.

“It’s a good question for the conference,” Lanning said. “It’s been communicated on our end.”

Lanning and his players have said throughout fall camp and the start of the season that they’re No. 1 focus is on what they can do better as a team.

“We're focused on us. Don't pay attention to the outside noise,” Lanning said about how he makes sure they don’t overlook Northwestern. “It wasn't around the summer. It shows up now. It doesn't mean anything now.”