The Auburn Tigers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish are just one spot apart in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll, but their 2018 football schedules couldn’t be more different in terms of travel.
The 10th-ranked Tigers’ average road trip is 197 miles, or roughly the distance between Buffalo and Cleveland. The 11th-ranked Irish, meanwhile, embark on a six game road schedule that includes jaunts that average the distance between Omaha and New Orleans.
Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick’s decision to move a Nov. 17 game against the Syracuse Orange from Notre Dame Stadium to Yankee Stadium (1,412 roundtrip miles away by road) added to an already travel-intensive schedule that includes expeditions to San Diego (4,305 miles roundtrip), Los Angeles (4,211), Winston-Salem (1,271 miles) and Blacksburg (1,124).