Fourth-ranked Penn State crawled 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 pull off a road win (33-30 score) 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 one of the competing teams traveling through at least two time zones. That’s not surprising, but this is starkly reminiscent of the introductory process of the Big Ten debut season for the Trojans and other former Pac-12 converts.
Of the 11 games this season in the Big Ten conference in which a team traveled at least two time zones, only two teams won on the road (Indiana’s win at UCLA and Penn State’s win at USC) ). Nine such losses have been recorded on the road, with USC at the center of two of those games.
On September 21, then-No. 18 Michigan conquered then-No. USC Game 11, 27-24, Michigan Stadium. Two weeks later, Minnesota, then-No. On the 13th, USC pulled off another upset with a 24-17 takedown at Huntington Bank Stadium.
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But in the 11 Big Ten contests in which teams traveled far, seven of the winning teams were favored. Minnesota’s win over USC was the biggest upset against the odds in Vegas.
Other away team conference losses include Northwestern vs. Washington (24-5) on Sept. 21. September 27th, Washington vs. Rutgers (21 wins, 18 losses). Wisconsin was then No. 13 against USC on September 28th (24-17). Oct. 4, Michigan State vs. Oregon State (31-10). Then, no. 10 Michigan vs. Washington (27-17) in the championship rematch on October 5th. UCLA was then No. 5, and No. 7 Penn State (27-11). Washington vs. Iowa (40-16) on Saturday.
Across the Big Ten and ACC, road teams that travel two or more time zones are 11-for-11 against the spread. This record includes non-conference games, such as in Week 1, when TCU (Big 12) defeated Stanford (ACC) 34-27 at Stanford Stadium.
But in ACC and Big Ten conference games, road teams that travel two or more time zones are 7-9 against the spread (after Penn State).
All odds are bound to change slightly as No. 2 Ohio State travels to No. 3 Oregon and Minnesota on Saturday night to suit up at UCLA.
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(Photo: Jayne Kamin Onsia/USA Today)
