Across the 2026 season, Hawai'i carry the heaviest 2026 travel schedule in the FBS at 37,264 round-trip miles across 6 away games; the single longest journey is Arizona State's 5,271-mile trip to face Kansas at Wembley Stadium; the steepest altitude change is UConn at Wyoming, climbing 7,185 feet above their home elevation. Blue Chip Analytics charges a long trip +0.65 points on the spread, a westward body clock +0.90, a bye +0.75 and a significant altitude climb +1.00. Those four are fitted from results; the smaller rungs beneath each of them are extrapolated and labelled as such in the tables.
Travel, rest and altitude are three situational factors that sit alongside team strength on every college football game page. None of them changes how good a team is - they change the conditions a team has to perform in. This page explains how Blue Chip Analytics measures each factor, what each is worth on the spread, and which teams carry the most of it in 2026.
The charges below are the values the Blue Chip Analytics calculator actually applies. Each is a centre with a band, and the calculator moves within that band game by game. Every table marks which rungs are measured - fitted against results - and which are extrapolated, meaning they were set beneath a measured rung to give the model gradation rather than being fitted in their own right. Within each table the rungs are tried in order and the first one that matches wins; they are not added together.
Travel distance is measured point to point between the away team's home stadium and the game venue, using stored latitude and longitude coordinates for every FBS stadium. On top of raw mileage, a body-clock adjustment accounts for the time-zone difference between the away team's home and the game venue, combined with the local kickoff time. It works in both directions: a west-coast team in an early eastern kickoff starts on a much earlier body clock than the posted time suggests, and an east-coast team in a west-coast night game finishes on a much later one. A venue within 31 miles of the away team's home is treated as no journey at all.
Each team page tracks cumulative travel across the season. Every away game counts as a round trip - both the outbound and return journey - so a 374-mile away trip adds 748 miles (374 there, 374 back) to the running total. Home games and bye weeks add zero miles. The per-week Distance column shows the one-way distance only, since the return trip happens after the game is played; the cumulative column and the season total use the doubled round-trip figure.
| Trip profile | Threshold | Spread charge | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westward body clock | 2 or more time zones against the team | +0.90 pts (+0.50 to +1.50) | measured |
| Long trip | 1,553 miles or more | +0.65 pts (+0.00 to +1.00) | measured |
| Eastward body clock | 2 or more time zones eastward, on a trip of 621 miles or more | +0.30 pts (+0.00 to +0.55) | extrapolated |
| One zone westward | 1 time zone against the team, on a trip of 621 miles or more | +0.35 pts (+0.00 to +0.65) | extrapolated |
| Moderate trip | 932 miles or more | +0.25 pts (+0.00 to +0.50) | extrapolated |
| Short trip | Under 932 miles, no time-zone change | none | — |
| Team | Season miles | Away trips | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawai'i | 37,264 | 6 |
| 2 | Stanford | 21,806 | 6 |
| 3 | Sacramento State | 20,907 | 6 |
| 4 | North Dakota State | 18,929 | 6 |
| 5 | Arizona State | 18,411 | 6 |
| 6 | California | 18,142 | 5 |
| 7 | New Mexico State | 17,792 | 6 |
| 8 | USC | 16,323 | 5 |
| 9 | Oregon | 15,995 | 5 |
| 10 | UNLV | 14,226 | 6 |
| Team | Opponent | When | One-way miles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona State | Kansas Wembley Stadium | Week 3 | 5,271 |
| 2 | Hawai'i | Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium | Week 8 | 4,194 |
| 3 | North Dakota State | Hawai'i Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex | Week 11 | 3,804 |
| 4 | North Carolina | TCU Aviva Stadium | Week 0 | 3,613 |
| 5 | Hawai'i | Wyoming War Memorial Stadium | Week 4 | 3,325 |
| 6 | Hawai'i | UTEP Sun Bowl | Week 10 | 3,228 |
| 7 | New Mexico | Hawai'i Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex | Week 7 | 3,227 |
| 8 | New Mexico State | Hawai'i Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex | Week 2 | 3,215 |
| 9 | Hawai'i | Arizona State Mountain America Stadium | Week 6 | 2,916 |
| 10 | UNLV | Hawai'i Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex | Week 1 | 2,756 |
A body-clock shift is the gap between the posted kickoff time and the time the away team's body thinks it is, and it runs in both directions. Travelling west leaves a team kicking off later than its body expects - a team from the east coast in a night game on the west coast is playing well into what is, to them, the small hours. Travelling east does the reverse: an early eastern kickoff can land in what is, to a west-coast team, the middle of the morning.
The westward shift is the one Blue Chip Analytics has measured against results, and it carries the larger charge of +0.90 points at 2 or more zones. An eastward shift of 2 or more zones is charged +0.30 - a smaller figure, extrapolated rather than fitted, and one that in practice only applies to trips distance has not already charged more heavily. The table below ranks the 2026 games with the largest shift in either direction.
| Team | Opponent | Kicks off at | Body clock | Shift | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona State | Kansas Wembley Stadium | 09:00 | earlier than kickoff | 8h east |
| 2 | TCU | North Carolina Aviva Stadium | 11:00 | earlier than kickoff | 6h east |
| 3 | Kansas | Arizona State Wembley Stadium | 11:00 | earlier than kickoff | 6h east |
| 4 | North Carolina | TCU Aviva Stadium | 12:00 | earlier than kickoff | 5h east |
| 5 | Hawai'i | Northern Illinois Huskie Stadium | 18:00 | earlier than kickoff | 5h east |
| 6 | North Dakota State | Hawai'i Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex | 22:59 | later than kickoff | 4h west |
| 7 | New Mexico State | Hawai'i Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex | 21:59 | later than kickoff | 4h west |
| 8 | New Mexico | Hawai'i Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex | 22:00 | later than kickoff | 4h west |
| 9 | Hawai'i | Wyoming War Memorial Stadium | 09:00 | earlier than kickoff | 4h east |
| 10 | Miami | Stanford Stanford Stadium | 21:00 | later than kickoff | 3h west |
Rest measures the number of days between a team's previous game and its next kickoff, relative to its opponent. The reference point is a standard seven-day turnaround; teams can sit above it (a bye week or an early-week prior game) or below it (a short week, such as a Saturday-to-Thursday turnaround). Rest is recalculated weekly as the schedule advances.
| Rest profile | Threshold | Spread charge | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off a bye | 13 days or more | +0.75 pts (+0.50 to +1.00) | measured |
| Better rested | 2 or more days than the opponent, with neither team off a bye | +0.30 pts (+0.00 to +0.55) | extrapolated |
| Standard turnaround | Within 2 days of the opponent | none | — |
Altitude is the elevation of the game stadium above sea level, and what matters is the climb rather than the raw figure: a team that trains at elevation is not penalised for playing at elevation. Blue Chip Analytics charges a visiting team only when the venue sits 3,937 feet or more above its own home ground.
| Elevation profile | Threshold | Spread charge | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Significant climb | 3,937 ft or more above the visitor's home elevation | +1.00 pts (+0.50 to +1.25) | measured |
| Moderate climb | 1,969 ft or more | +0.40 pts (+0.00 to +0.75) | extrapolated |
| No meaningful climb | Under 1,969 ft of gain | none | — |
| Team | Opponent | Venue elevation | Climb | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UConn | Wyoming War Memorial Stadium | 7,231 ft | 7,185 ft |
| 2 | Hawai'i | Wyoming War Memorial Stadium | 7,231 ft | 7,156 ft |
| 3 | Navy | Air Force Falcon Stadium | 6,657 ft | 6,617 ft |
| 4 | UConn | Air Force Falcon Stadium | 6,657 ft | 6,611 ft |
| 5 | San José State | Air Force Falcon Stadium | 6,657 ft | 6,552 ft |
| 6 | Northern Illinois | Wyoming War Memorial Stadium | 7,231 ft | 6,335 ft |
| 7 | North Dakota State | Air Force Falcon Stadium | 6,657 ft | 5,755 ft |
| 8 | Houston | Colorado Folsom Field | 5,400 ft | 5,348 ft |
| 9 | UCF | Colorado Folsom Field | 5,400 ft | 5,325 ft |
| 10 | San Diego State | Colorado State Canvas Stadium | 5,010 ft | 4,921 ft |
Travel distance is measured point to point between the away team's home stadium and the game venue, using stored coordinates for every FBS stadium. Season totals count each away game as a round trip - out and back - while the single-trip table on this page shows one-way distance.
Blue Chip Analytics charges a trip of 1,553 miles or more +0.65 points, and a body clock shifted 2 or more time zones westward against the team +0.90 points. Both are measured centres with a band, not a fixed adjustment. Smaller rungs sit beneath both - a moderate trip of 932 miles is charged +0.25, and an eastward shift of 2 or more zones +0.30 - which are extrapolated from the measured values rather than fitted in their own right.
Yes, but less than travelling west, and the two are charged differently. A westward shift of 2 or more time zones is the effect that was measured, at +0.90 points. An eastward shift of 2 or more zones on a trip of 621 miles or more is charged +0.30. In practice most long eastward trips are already charged more than that by distance alone, because a trip crossing three time zones is almost always over 1,553 miles.
A visiting team climbing 3,937 feet or more above its own home elevation is charged +1.00 points, and a climb of 1,969 feet or more +0.40. The climb matters more than the raw altitude: a team that trains at elevation is not penalised for playing at elevation.
A team with 13 days or more since its last game is charged +0.75 points. A smaller edge of 2 or more days over the opponent, with neither team off a bye, is charged +0.30. Rest is measured relative to a standard seven-day turnaround.
Travel, rest and altitude are charged per game: a long trip +0.65 points, a westward body clock +0.90, a bye +0.75, a significant climb +1.00. Smaller extrapolated rungs sit beneath each.
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