The loudest concern surrounding UCLA’s move to the Big Ten was too much travel.

Naysayers envisioned jet-lagged athletes stumbling off six-hour red-eye flights, only to be swallowed up by Midwest teams under ruthless weather conditions and deafening crowds.

It’s a hysteria blown out of proportion. UCLA’s conference realignment isn’t a doom-and-gloom scenario – it’s a springboard into the relentless grind of professional sports.

Football has indisputably steered UCLA’s decision to join the Big Ten, putting the program toe-to-toe with the sport’s titans while offering a golden stage to raise its national prestige. At the end of the day, football is the engine behind the school’s revenue and the crown jewel of college sports.

Every upgrade comes with a price – you can’t face the nation’s top teams, grab attention from national media and not expect a little turbulence along the way.

And those so-called “hiccups”? UCLA athletes aren’t waiting for their zone to be called for a cramped budget airline. They’re most often flying chartered planes, designed to minimize discomfort and maximize recovery time.

With travel plans fine-tuned by college athletic administration, the logistical nightmare that fans fear might feel more like a luxury getaway.

UCLA football will travel 22,048 miles by the end of its 2024 slate – the most of any Big Ten squad.

Eleven NFL teams will travel upward of 22,048 miles this season.

While UCLA men’s basketball’s 2024 miles are yet to be computed, no team in the entire NBA will travel less than 37,500 miles through its respective season. The Minnesota Timberwolves travel the most, amassing 53,691.

Like it or not, travel is deeply ingrained in professional sports. Players crisscross the country and bounce between time zones – it’s the nature of elite competition.

Less than 2% of NCAA athletes actually reach the professional ranks, but that figure climbs into double digits for those simply chasing the dream – and adaptability is key.

Players would rather acclimate in college than endure the shock in the big leagues – where travel is just a fraction of a player’s tests.

Critics often cite the toll of travel on athletes’ bodies, especially considering time zone shifts. It’s a valid concern.

Football will indeed face three-hour time differences when heading to Rutgers this season – but collegiate athletes aren’t strangers to intensive travel. The Bruins covered a large portion of the West last year – San Diego, Salt Lake City, Corvallis, Stanford and Tucson.

The truth is that travel is not more, it’s just farther. And farther isn’t synonymous with more difficult.

Take women’s volleyball as another example – UCLA will be traveling charter for conference play, a far cry from its commercial trips in the Pac-12. The school has greenlit private jets for four major road excursions through the season.

According to calculations from the Southern California New Group, the basketball, football, soccer and volleyball programs will fly double or triple their Pac-12 miles as part of the Big Ten.

But the drastic increase in travel will not equate to much more time overall in the air. Sun Air Jets states that private jets cruise at about 600 miles per hour, topping out at 700. In contrast, commercial flights travel at about 500 miles per hour. The speed boost trims air time, reducing travel fatigue.

And for UCLA women’s volleyball, when that travel means a chance to compete against Tennessee, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Penn State, a few extra hours in the sky feels like a small price to pay.

The bigger picture is that UCLA’s move is a financial boon. The surge in media rights revenue will more than offset costs of long-haul travel. It’ll be premium amenities, recovery tools and nutritional guidance, not to mention top-tier competition.

College sports are about preparation for life beyond the NCAA. Learning to handle adversity – be it a raucous crowd at Beaver Stadium or a 2,000-mile flight home – offers a glimpse into life beyond the confines of college.

Travel isn’t the obstacle it’s made out to be. It’s a feature of the Bruins’ future, not a bug.

While fans and pundits stoke the flames, painting the move as overly burdensome, the Bruins should embrace the favorable hand of cards they’ve been dealt.

The Big Ten’s grueling travel will prepare athletes for a future where the stakes are higher – and the miles don’t get any shorter.