
The Big Ten’s expansion to include Washington, Oregon, USC, and UCLA has added an extra layer of difficulty for the league’s traditional powers when traveling west. Since the start of the 2024 season, Big Ten teams from the Eastern and Central time zones have gone just 3-13 in regular-season games played in the Pacific Time Zone, with Ohio State itself suffering a 32-31 loss at Oregon last October.
This week, the Buckeyes head west again for their first road and Big Ten matchup of the season, traveling to Seattle to face Washington in what head coach Ryan Day calls a true early-season measuring stick.
The program has been deliberate about preparing differently than it did last year. After flying out the day before the Oregon game, the Buckeyes will now depart tomorrow (Thursday) to allow a full day to acclimate ahead of Saturday’s 12:40 p.m. local kickoff. Day compared the adjustment to the playoff trips Ohio State made during last season’s postseason run. “A little bit like when we were in the playoffs, just sort of that mindset of going into a new environment, sort of getting calibrated and then going to play from there,” Day explained. “We spent a lot of time talking about it – Coach Mick, myself, some of the other coaches – to figure out what gives us the best chance to play at our maximum level.”

Day downplayed the notion that travel timing alone determined last year’s loss but admitted the staff is always searching for improvements. “It wasn’t really anything about the trip. I thought we were ready and we were playing fast. I don’t think there was anything sports science-wise that says us leaving the day before had any effect in the game,” he said. “But that being said, we always want to get better, and we’ve done a lot of studying on this. We’ve talked to a lot of people in the NFL, we’ve talked to different other sports and how they travel multiple time zones, and we felt like this is the best way.”
The change also reflects Ohio State’s experience from last year’s playoff run, when the Buckeyes handled West Coast and Southern trips with success. Day believes that familiarity will help this year’s group settle in. “Although we don’t have as much time, it’s similar in that way,” he said. “So we’ll keep that same mindset.”

This trip comes with even more intrigue given the challenge Washington presents. The Huskies have won 22 straight games at Husky Stadium, one of the loudest venues in the nation, and return a dynamic roster led by quarterback Demond Williams. Day acknowledged the task, saying, “We know this is going to be a great challenge being on the road, a very good team. For this group, it’ll be our first time on the road. So this is the next challenge for us as a group. Whatever we’ve done the first three games means absolutely nothing going into this game; we’ve got to go on the road and get this win.”
To do that, Day insists Ohio State must rely on fundamentals and composure rather than allowing travel or environment to affect execution. “It’s almost like going back to the beginning, going back to basics, because anytime you go on the road, just everything is a little bit more difficult. Communication is more difficult, all of those things,” he said. “It’s not anything new, but at the same time, we have to, amidst the environment and the noise and the chaos, have poise and composure, and we can’t let the environment dictate how we play. It starts with taking care of the football, it starts with tackling, it starts with blocking, and then it goes from there.”
With an extra week of preparation after a bye and a travel plan built on playoff-tested experience, Ohio State is determined to end the Big Ten’s struggles on the West Coast. As Day put it, “As coaches, it’s our job to make sure we’re putting them in a situation to be successful.”