When the Big Ten expanded to include four West Coast schools, travel became a big concern. Some athletes from Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington had to go coast-to-coast for games. However, the UCLA athletic director, Martin Jarmond, said that it didn’t cause many problems with his team needing to travel.
Martin Jarmond Downplays Travel Concerns After UCLA’s First Big Ten Season
Jarmond told the University of California Board of Regents that the increased travel “was not an issue,” based on what he heard after the exit meetings. San Jose Mercury News Jon Wilner first reported this. Jarmond also noted that UCLA budgeted a $5 million increase in travel costs but said that the athletics department will “come in under that.”
In presentation to UC Regents special committee on athletics, UCLA AD Martin Jarmond said Big Ten travel “was not an issue” per exit interviews with athletes
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) May 13, 2025
In its inaugural seasons in the Big Ten, UCLA’s football team logged more than 22,000 miles while traveling for road games. The Bruins’ East Coast matchups included games at Penn State and Rutgers within a three-week window.
UCLA men’s basketball also had an East Coast swing in January with games at Maryland and Rutgers, both of which were losses. After the trip, Mick Cronin received a question about the “wear and tear” on his players, and his response told you everything you need to know about the travel.
“Wear and tear on them? Is that a joke? Please tell me that’s a joke. Comparable?” Cronin said. “Ask me UCLA’s record east of the Mississippi in the last 20 years. Because when I got the job, I looked it up for scheduling purposes. It’s under .500, OK.”
“We have to go back four times. ‘Oh, the Big Ten teams get to come to Los Angeles where it’s 70 degrees one time a year.’ They don’t even have to switch hotels. We’re 12 miles apart. Are you kidding me? Please tell me you’re kidding me. I mean, is this a plant? Is this a planted question? I mean, you cannot be serious with that.”
Following a groundbreaking round of realignment shaking up college athletics, Oregon and Washington will phase in to a full share of the revenue. USC and UCLA, however, will receive a full share right away from the Big Ten, which saw the early effects of its landmark media rights deal in its fiscal year 2024 documents.
According to the documents, the Big Ten generated over $928 million in revenue, which is an increase from the $880 million during the 2023 fiscal year. That means the conference distributed roughly $63.2 million to each of its 12 longest-standing schools, USA Today reporter, which was up from $60.5 million in the previous fiscal year.
KEEP READING: 2025 Way-Too-Early College Football Top 25 Power Rankings
So, what does this mean? It’s simple. UCLA doesn’t care about the travel that comes with going to more schools on the East Coast. They may want to work on their win-loss record, though, when it comes to East Coast schools. However, the travel doesn’t affect the teams or players as much as anyone thinks it might.
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
