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Sam Garcia

By Sam Garcia

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UCLA football will have to make three long trips to the East Coast this season.

The Bruins will be headed to Maryland, Minnesota and Michigan.

Regularly traveling to East Coast schools was one of the biggest changes that came with UCLA joining the Big Ten conference in 2024. Now entering its third season in the conference, UCLA is better adjusted to the longer travel days.

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First-year UCLA head coach Bob Chesney said he spoke to Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay about how the NFL team handles traveling across the country for games.

Head coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams looks on during the second quarter against the Seattle Seahawks.

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“I had a chance to go out and visit with the Rams for a couple days and (talk) to Sean McVay about it,” Chesney said Wednesday at Big Ten Media Days. “You know, no matter where they play, they land at 6 o’clock at night, they go through their evening, they get up the next day in whatever time zone they’re in, and then they play the game. And I think they’re like 90% wins on these cross-country trips.”

Chesney Recently Experienced Impact of Long Travel Days

Before becoming head coach of UCLA this offseason, Chesney was the head coach at James Madison.

Chesney said he recently went from California to Virginia, where James Madison is located, and was able to get a first-hand feel for the impact of cross-country travel days.

“I think for me, I recently did it. Went from California back to Virginia, and just I was paying close attention, you know, to what I would feel like the next day,” Chesney said. “And I think that one day where you have a chance to get in and settle, you know, the day before, and then just you know you wake up the next day a little, little tired, and then you go to bed a little early the next day, and you wake up and you feel a whole lot better. I think that I got to juggle that just a little bit more and figure out what the best plan is for us."

Head coach Bob Chesney of the UCLA Bruins speaks to the media during the 2026 Big Ten Football Media Days at Hilton Chicago on July 29, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois.

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Chesney said UCLA is still figuring out the best plan for tackling those long travel days. But the Rams' success on the road proves cross-country trips are not an excuse for losing.

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