Now that Penn State has lost to UCLA and Nittany Lions coach James Franklin referenced the long trip to the West Coast as part of the reason, there has been a lot of discussion this week about college football teams having to travel across the country to play games.
This was part of the deal when the Big Ten and Atlantic Coast Conference expanded last year. When things don't go well, the strain of long-distance travel tends to come up as an excuse.
In Big Ten games this season, teams playing three time zones away are 4-2. Penn State has been on the wrong side as a host and visitor — losing at home to Oregon as a 4 1/2-point favorite and losing at UCLA as a 24 1/2-point favorite.
In the ACC, the visiting team is 1-3. Boston College lost at Stanford as a two-touchdown favorite and lost to California at home as a 5 1/2-point favorite.
Last year, the visiting team in these games was 5-11 in the Big Ten. The record was 7-5 in the ACC, but it must be noted all 12 of those games involved western teams Cal and Stanford, and they struggled regardless of where they played while combining to go 9-16 overall.
There are four of these three-time-zone games in the Big Ten this week: Rutgers at Washington on Friday, and UCLA at Michigan State, No. 7 Indiana at No. 3 Oregon and No. 15 Michigan at Southern California on Saturday. Wake Forest of the ACC plays a nonconference game at Oregon State on Saturday.
Michigan is among teams traveling on Thursday, a day earlier than usual, for Saturday games. The Wolverines learned from last year's 27-17 loss at Washington, with coach Sherrone Moore saying this week that his team was “a little groggy” against the Huskies. Moore noted that flying causes dehydration and that it takes extra time to recover after five hours on a plane.
“Teams flying this way have to adjust as well,” he said, "so I think you can't make those things an excuse.”
The picks for this week’s games involving AP Top 25 teams and lines from BetMGM Sportsbook:
Julian Sayin went over 300 yards passing for the third time last week against Minnesota, and now he goes against a defense that's given up that many three times.
Pick: Ohio State 35-20.
Hoosiers have proved their doubters wrong repeatedly since Curt Cignetti took over, yet it’s hard to pick against an Oregon team that’s 7-1 at home against Top 25 opponents in Dan Lanning’s four seasons.
Pick: Oregon 28-20.
Trinidad Chambliss' 1,219 yards in total offense for the Rebels over his first three starts were most of any QB from Sept. 13-27. Look for him to pick up where he left off after last week's open date.
Pick: Mississippi 55-20.
Florida has scored a total of 17 points in two road games against ranked opponents. Texas A&M's last two opponents have combined for 19 points and 1-for-23 on third-down conversions.
Pick: Texas A&M 28-20.
Sooners are tied for second in the nation with 21 sacks and licking their chops at the prospect of getting after Arch Manning. Florida sacked him six times and had him under pressure on 26 of his 42 dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
Pick: Oklahoma 27-21.
Crimson Tide are building momentum with their four-game win streak. Tigers haven't beaten a top-10 team in Columbia since 2010.
Pick: Alabama 30-24.
Jayhawks won three straight against ranked opponents last November, but the momentum won't carry over against one of the most complete teams in the country.
Pick: Texas Tech 45-21.
Georgia's defense has struggled to pressure QBs. Auburn's 21 sacks allowed are most in the country.
Pick: Georgia 29-17.
Gamecocks think they found their run game against Kentucky in their last game. Tigers are still looking for theirs.
Pick: LSU 24-17.
Bobby Petrino is back as Razorbacks' head coach, this time on an interim basis, after the firing of Sam Pittman.
Pick: Tennessee 42-35.
Three of the Yellow Jackets' five wins have been one-score games and they are coming off a much-needed open date. Hokies have shown they're capable of playing good teams close.
Pick: Georgia Tech 33-30.
Wolverines have quietly gone about their business and sit 4-1. This should be their last big test before Ohio State on Nov. 29.
Pick: USC 26-21.
It's the battle of the CJs — Wolfpack QB CJ Bailey vs. Fighting Irish QB CJ Carr. Both are having good seasons, other than Bailey's three-interception game against Duke.
Pick: Notre Dame 38-21.
Arizona and BYU are 1-2 in pass defense in the Big 12 and both are holding opponents under 100 yards per game on the ground.
Pick: BYU 21-17.
Big 12 rushing leader Raleek Brown, limited to nine carries last season because of a hamstring injury, has been a revelation for the Sun Devils.
Pick: Arizona State 27-24.
The Cyclones would love to get their run game going to help out a shorthanded defense that got gashed by Cincinnati.
Pick: Iowa State 28-21.
North Texas has its first 5-0 start since 1959 against one of the weakest schedules in the country. Bulls have been there, done that this season.
Pick: South Florida 31-27.
Pitt couldn't have asked for more from freshman QB Mason Heintschel vs. Boston College in his first start. FSU is a different animal.
Pick: Florida State 35-17.
Byes: No. 2 Miami, No. 19 Virginia, No. 20 Vanderbilt, No. 23 Memphis.
Last week: Straight-up — 10-5; Against spread — 8-7.
Season: Straight-up — 79-15; Against spread — 46-48.
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore gives a news interview after the team's win in an NCAA college football game against Wisconsin, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
McLaren driver Lando Norris held his nerve but could not hold back the tears after clinching his first Formula 1 title at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday.
Red Bull driver and defending champion Max Verstappen won the race with Norris placing third behind his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in second, which allowed Norris to finish two points ahead of Verstappen in the season-long standings.
“It's incredible. It is pretty surreal. I've dreamed of this for a long, long time,” said the 26-year-old Norris, who started his F1 career as a test and reserve driver with McLaren. "I feel like I did my part for the team this year and I'm very proud of myself for that. I’m even more proud for everyone who I hopefully made cry.”
Norris became Britain's 11th F1 champion, a racing journey that began with kart racing when he was eight years old. The first of his 11 F1 race wins came last year, when he finished second overall in the standings.
Piastri was also in contention for his first F1 title and finished third in the standings, 13 points behind Norris, who ended the season with seven wins and 423 points.
Norris became the first British champion since Lewis Hamilton won his record-equaling seventh title in 2020, and also denied Verstappen a fifth straight title.
“Oh God. I’ve not cried in a while. It’s a long journey. First of all, I want to say a big thanks to my guys, my parents," Norris said a few minutes after the race. “I now know what Max feels like a little bit. I want to congratulate him and Oscar, too. It’s been a long year but we did it."
Norris entered the three-way battle 12 points ahead of Verstappen and 16 ahead of Piastri, who also won seven races but none since the Dutch GP on Aug. 31.
Verstappen started from pole position for with Norris on the front row beside him and Piastri third on the grid. Verstappen needed Norris to be fourth or lower and Norris had to finish outside the top five if Piastri won.
Verstappen's astounding late-season charge came close to unseating both McLaren drivers after they had shared the lead throughout the season and then were undone by driver and team-strategy errors.
Verstappen’s title chances were dramatically improved with two races to go after Norris and Piastri were disqualified in Las Vegas.
But even Verstappen's season-leading eighth win and 71st of his career could not stop Norris, who kept his composure on Sunday, having been under severe pressure in recent weeks.
“Oscar and Lando have been awesome all year,” McLaren CEO Zak Brown told broadcaster Sky. “This Max guy is pretty hard to beat.”
The McLaren motorhome erupted with joy when Norris clinched it and Brown congratulated Norris on the team radio in his usual jovial manner.
“Lando, this is Zak from McLaren. Is this the world champion hotline? You did it! You did it! Awesome," Brown said.
Norris didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He did both.
“Oh my God, thanks so much. I love you guys. Thanks for everything,” Norris said and then broke down in tears.
After crossing the line, Norris stayed in his car for a few moments, visibly emotional. His parents were on the side of the track and he went over to hug them before celebrating with his McLaren engineers and mechanics.
Piastri was looking to become the first Australian champion since Alan Jones in 1980, but his failure to win a race after Zandvoort cost him.
Pole position was crucial on the 58-lap circuit in Abu Dhabi, where overtaking is hard, and so it proved again as Verstappen joined the long list of race winners from pole since 2015.
Charles Leclerc finished fourth for Ferrari ahead of George Russell in a Mercedes and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso in sixth.
Verstappen made a clean start with Piastri overtaking Norris at the end of Lap 1, while the slick Leclerc was soon behind Norris.
Norris was the first of the contenders to change tires when he came in on Lap 17. But he was caught behind some traffic and had Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda ahead of him in third spot, which in turn allowed Leclerc to gain some ground on Norris.
Norris overtook Tsunoda on Lap 23 but went very wide and off track limits but race stewards gave Tsunoda a 5-second time penalty for zig-zagging in front of Norris, who was cleared of wrongdoing.
Tsunoda, who is being replaced at Red Bull next year by Isack Hadjar, reacted angrily when informed he had moved more than once in front of Norris when defending his position.
“This pace is mega,” Ferrari told Leclerc over team radio.
Norris pitted again on Lap 41, with Verstappen overtaking Piastri moments later to move into the lead. Piastri came in a lap later for his one and only change but Norris still held the cards because both McLarens had covered an eventual second tire change for Verstappen.
The main threat for Norris was Leclerc and he was about 4 seconds behind him with 10 laps left.
“Is Charles catching him or not?” Verstappen asked his race engineer.
Leclerc couldn't get closer, meaning Norris could coast to the title barring any mishap or a late safety car.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Formula 1: https://apnews.com/hub/formula-one
Race winner Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, center, poses on the podium with second placed McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia, left, and third placed McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain after the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain smiles after becoming a world champion after the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain celebrates after becoming a world champion after the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain reacts after becoming a world champion after the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain reacts after becoming a world champion after the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia steers his car during the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain crosses the finish line to become the wprld champion during the Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (Andrej Isakovic, Pool via AP)
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain crosses the finish line to become the world champion during the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain celebrates after becomin a rold champion after the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car followed by McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain during the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car followed by McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain during the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia, left, and McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain, center, and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands attend the drivers parade ahead of the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia watches his team mate Lando Norris of Britain speak to media before the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain, left, and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands talk before the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
