The western wing of the Big Ten won just one of four matchups last weekend against opponents from the eastern arm, but the success rate was higher in another area: complaints about the schedule.
The West Coast coaches grumbled publicly about kickoff times and travel logistics at an impressive 66.7 percent clip.
We’re excluding UCLA from the calculation because the Bruins don’t have a permanent head coach, and interim boss Tim Skipper was smart enough to avoid the topic before leaving town for Northwestern.
Of the three entrenched coaches, only Washington’s Jedd Fisch avoided the topic — perhaps because the Huskies were at home in an ideal kickoff window (12:30 p.m.) for their showdown against top-ranked Ohio State.
But Oregon’s Dan Lanning and USC’s Lincoln Riley didn’t hide their frustration with various aspects of the schedule ahead of cross-country trips.
The development was particularly notable because Fisch has more right than Riley or Lanning to complain, but we’ll get to that momentarily.
First, let’s examine the evidence.
Last week, in advance of the trip to Illinois, Riley appeared irked by the kickoff time for back-to-back games: The Trojans had an 8 p.m. start in the Coliseum on Sept. 20 (against Michigan State) — it finished a few minutes before midnight — and then were slotted into the 9 a.m. (Pacific) window for the Sept. 27 date in Champaign.
“We don’t make the schedule. Clearly,” Riley told reporters, adding the impact of crisscrossing the country “compounds, if you aren’t careful.”
It’s comical — no, it’s beyond comical — for anyone at USC to complain about the Big Ten schedule, given that the school could have remained in the Pac-12. But the Trojans opted for the Big Ten, which was their right, and must live with the consequences.
Those consequences include playing late games when they are home and early games when they’re on the road. That’s kind of how time zones and sports programming have worked since the invention of the picture tube.
Oh, but there’s more. Unlike UCLA and Washington, the Trojans were spared the dreaded 9 a.m. kickoff last year; none of their Big Ten road games started before 12:30 p.m. Pacific.
Anytime he’s asked about travel or kickoff times, Riley’s standard answer should be: “We’re thrilled to be members of the Big Ten and have no issues with the schedule. Can we talk about something else, like our inability to hold fourth-quarter leads?”
How about Lanning? Oregon’s fourth-year coach couldn’t help himself last week, either.
Ahead of the showdown at Penn State, Lanning mentioned to JohnCanzano.com that, “We’re traveling 15,000 miles this year, and we play seven teams that have more prep time than we do.”
He was also frustrated that Penn State had a bye the week before facing the Ducks, whereas Oregon played Oregon State on Sept. 20.
Key point: This wasn’t the first time Lanning had raised the issue of unequal preparation time. During a news conference earlier in the season, he referenced the “seven” instances in which Oregon’s opponent has more than the standard six days of prep time (Sunday to Friday) before facing the Ducks.
Asked what the Big Ten could do to create a more equitable situation, Lanning said: “That’s a good question for the conference. It has been communicated.”
There’s a lot to unpack, because Lanning’s comments are lacking in crucial context:
— The Big Ten doesn’t control non-conference games. Oregon scheduled the Civil War matchup way back in December 2023 — a full year before the Big Ten set the conference lineup for ’25. Had the Ducks not been booked on Sept. 20, they would have been given two weeks off before heading to Happy Valley.
— Lanning’s comments could be taken to mean there are seven instances in which Oregon’s opponent has more preparation time than the Ducks. That’s not the case. On several occasions, the Ducks also have extra time. And in one case (USC), the Ducks have the advantage.
Here’s the reality: There are four occasions in conference play — not seven — in which Oregon’s opponent has more preparation time than the Ducks. (Those teams are Northwestern, Penn State, Minnesota and Rutgers.)
To which we would add: What did Oregon (or USC or UCLA or Washington) think was going to happen upon joining a conference in which 78 percent of the membership is based in the Eastern and Central time zones?
Scheduling is far more complicated than most fans (and coaches) realize. There are myriad considerations and second-level effects. Change one game, and it can impact half the teams in the conference.
The irony here is that the only (permanent) head coach on the West Coast who didn’t complain about the Big Ten schedule was the only head coach on the West Coast who has a legitimate beef: Fisch.
There are four occasions in which UW will have a normal week of preparation while facing a team with two weeks to get ready.
Yep, four times in which their opponents are coming off byes and the Huskies are not. (Oregon faces that situation twice; USC, once.)
One of those situations occurred last week, with Ohio State. But as was the case for Oregon, the Huskies slotted the Apple Cup for Sept. 20, long before the Big Ten set its schedule.
In two of the other three situations, Washington is, at least, the home team.
Only once, this week, do the Huskies encounter the brutally difficult assignment of traveling across the country to face an opponent (Maryland) that had an extra week to prepare.
And because the Hotline spotted this flaw in UW’s schedule last fall — and addressed the matter at that time — we had many months to dig a little deeper.
The takeaway from discussions with multiple sources: The Big Ten is well aware of Washington’s short straw and doesn’t deny the inequality in schedules.
But the perfect schedule for each of the 18 teams doesn’t exist. Every year, a few schools will face next-level logistical challenges that tilt the competitive playing field.
The conference’s goal is to ensure those imbalances aren’t repeated over a number of years for the same school. They must be spread across the conference over time.
That said, keep two things in mind:
— The schedules and the kickoff windows are separate matters. The conference controls the former, and the TV partners largely dictate the latter.
— Ohio State and Michigan will receive the benefit of the doubt more often than not, and if that bothers the other schools, well, too bad.
The Buckeyes and Wolverines have earned the right over time and, in tandem, are responsible for more than half the Big Ten’s media value. (Penn State warrants mention, as well.)
In fact, special considerations given to Ohio State and Michigan impact everyone else by leaving the conference and its TV partners with fewer schools for the least desirable assignments.
Lanning and Riley can complain all they want — Fisch, too — but they won’t be treated as equals to the Big Ten’s Big Two, nor should they.
They should, however, insist on competitive balance with the other schools spread across a span of years.
And above all, they should do it privately. Public griping is an awful look, especially for USC.
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