What's the value of a travelling partner?

[Townie72]

Any number of times as actual, planned or theoretical conference expansion has been discussed, the phrase "traveling partner" has been used. As in when Paterno was suggesting that the Big 10 add another Eastern school to give PSU a traveling partner. Or when FSU was linked to the Big 12 recently, people mentioned Miami as a traveling partner.

I understand that a traveling partner is another school in close proximity. But the value of it besides it adding a few games a year located close to your campus isn't clear to me.

In pro baseball multi-game with "homestands", I can see where it might have value for teams to cycle through distant locations one after another. But that certainly doesn't apply to college football or basketball.

Is "traveling partner" being used as a way to bolster one's opinions on conference realignment schemes without the author knowing what the phrase actually means? (Imagine that). Or is there a value to being located close to one of your conference mates beyond the obvious?

 

[Toga]

Have always wondered that.

 

[xc84]

Maybe it's just a school, due to proximity and relationship, will likely vote with you etc. in the new league so you're not all alone as e.g. "the only NE school".

 

[OrangeXtreme]

The PAC-12 uses traveling partners for basketball.

Washington and Washington State will share a plane ride to Arizona. Washington plays Arizona on Thursday, while WSU plays ASU. On Saturday the opponents are flipped. Then they fly home Sat night.

Every week a team will either make a 2 game road trip, or host 2 games.

Dec 29
Oregon St.
Dec 31
Oregon
Jan 5
@Colorado
Jan 7
@Utah
Jan 10
Seattle
Jan 15
Washington St.
Jan 19
California
Jan 21
Stanford
Jan 26
@Arizona St.
Jan 28
@Arizona
Feb 2
UCLA
Feb 4
USC
Feb 9
@Oregon
Feb 12
@Oregon St.
Feb 16
Arizona St.
Feb 18
Arizona
Feb 25
@Washington St.
Mar 1
@USC
Mar 3
@UCLA
Mar 8
Oregon St.

 

[Townie72]

Good response, Extreme. Thanks.

I see how it works ... but the actual savings seem pretty thin. I guess they split the cost of a charter airplane. Because all the U. of Washington needs to do to get to Phoenix or Tucson is to go out to Sea-Tac airport and get on an America West flight.

 

[Alsacs]

Travel partners are so you aren't isolated within you conference. Boston College started losing recruits in the Northeast because there were fewer Northeasts schools on your schedule. Being an outlier school in a conference can't work unless you have a national following like Notre Dame. Penn State in the Big 10 is really close to Ohio State they are the outlier school in the Big 10 and it works for them because they will fill there 100k stadium no matter the opponent. If another Eastern school was in the Big 10 like Pitt, SU, RU, or WVU then PSU wouldn't be the outlier.

 

[Townie72]

Travel partners are so you aren't isolated within you conference. Boston College started losing recruits in the Northeast because there were fewer Northeasts schools on your schedule. Being an outlier school in a conference can't work unless you have a national following like Notre Dame. Penn State in the Big 10 is really close to Ohio State they are the outlier school in the Big 10 and it works for them because they will fill there 100k stadium no matter the opponent. If another Eastern school was in the Big 10 like Pitt, SU, RU, or WVU then PSU wouldn't be the outlier.

Not so sure about any of that.

What's your forecast for SDSU and BSU in the NNNBE (C-USA II)?

Two outlier schools don't seem all that much better than a single one.

I think SU will start gaining recruits because there are fewer Northeastern schools on our schedule but a more attractive overall schedule.

 

[xc84]

Not so sure about any of that.

What's your forecast for SDSU and BSU in the NNNBE (C-USA II)?

Two outlier schools don't seem all that much better than a single one.

I think SU will start gaining recruits because there are fewer Northeastern schools on our schedule but a more attractive overall schedule.

Maybe not all that much better but still better. As "outlier" or "western" or "heavy travel" schools, they have that in common and so will have mutual interests related to that v. the other schools that may not share the same views.

 

[Alsacs]

Not so sure about any of that.

What's your forecast for SDSU and BSU in the NNNBE (C-USA II)?

Two outlier schools don't seem all that much better than a single one.

I think SU will start gaining recruits because there are fewer Northeastern schools on our schedule but a more attractive overall schedule.

Boise State is already second guessing their move to the Big East because they aren't being invited as a full-member and as a result there Olympic and basketball teams will be destroyed it is 50-50 they stay in the MWC. San Diego State won't remain in the Big East that long and if you want the truth the Big East eventually may have an East -West split when BYU and the conference can come to an agreement. SDSU, BYU, BOISE, SMU, Houston, Air Force may eventually become the Big East west division.

 

[TexanMark]

Not so sure about any of that.

What's your forecast for SDSU and BSU in the NNNBE (C-USA II)?

Two outlier schools don't seem all that much better than a single one.

I think SU will start gaining recruits because there are fewer Northeastern schools on our schedule but a more attractive overall schedule.

Latest rumor is BSU is playing hardball with the BE...they want one more Western Team out there. Fresno State seems to be the one...remember Boise grabs most of their players from Cali...so Fresno would be beneficial to them. Others think UNLV should be #14...apparently USAFA is starting to think being tied to the "Misfit Toy and Psycho Ex-Ditched Girlfriends' Conference" isn't the way to go.

The travel partner thing helps mainly for the non revenue sports...like Field Hockey, Tennis, etc...they can play two nearby teams over a long weekend. It saves on travel costs but more importantly it might gain them an extra day back home to attend class (by not traveling)

 

[BlazeOrange]

Good response, Extreme. Thanks.

I see how it works ... but the actual savings seem pretty thin. I guess they split the cost of a charter airplane. Because all the U. of Washington needs to do to get to Phoenix or Tucson is to go out to Sea-Tac airport and get on an America West flight.

The savings add up once you factor in the non-revenue sports that can make the same type of travel arrangements. In fact, I always thought that the travel partner rationale was geared to those teams, kinda surprised to see hoops teams sharing rides too.

 

[omniorange]

I don't think it is about sharing plane rides etc.

I believe it is about when a team hits the road for a game vs. Team A, they then immediately after go on the road (presumably by bus) to visit team B, since they're not that far away, from team A's location. It's better than visiting team A...go home...then go back on the road to visit team B.

I think only the Pac has truly perfected this art though of the major conferences. The Big East sure hasn't, particularly with their non-revenue sports.

Cheers,
Neil

 

[All4SU]

Makes it easy to pack. Just one travel soap, one shampoo, one razor, etc.

 

[All4SU]

...apparently USAFA is starting to think being tied to the "Misfit Toy and Psycho Ex-Ditched Girlfriends' Conference" isn't the way to go.

The BE does not want to piss off the Air Force.

 

[orange79]

I think only the Pac has truly perfected this art though of the major conferences. The Big East sure hasn't, particularly with their non-revenue sports.

For major conferences, you're right. Although, the Ivies have done this for years (Penn-Princeton, Cornell-Columbia, etc.). I believe longer than the Pac has. Could be wrong though - I'm not sure when the Pac started.

 

[jekelish]

Yeah, travel partners are primarily to cut travel time and costs for when teams play two opponents on the road in a short timeframe. So rather than SU flying south to play Duke on a Saturday and then UNC later in the season, they'd combine those into one trip and play a couple days apart. That is how it works at my D3 school, anyway. It just makes a road trip easier for the traveling schools.

 

[zibby]

Is "traveling partner" being used as a way to bolster one's opinions on conference realignment schemes without the author knowing what the phrase actually means? (Imagine that). Or is there a value to being located close to one of your conference mates beyond the obvious?

It's great for non-revenue sports. Previously schools would fly their men's tennis, cross-country and women's underwater basketweaving teams to Tampa and then they would fly back home. Now with UCF joining those schools can have their teams play a match against USF then bus to Orlando and play UCF and then fly home. Schools get in two games for the price of a plane ticket instead of just one.