Oklahoma's efforts to block the SEC from rescheduling its home matchup against Ole Miss to Sunday ended in defeat after a nationwide flight groundstop and a Friday night dispute with conference officials.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey moved the Sooners' home game against No. 19 Ole Miss in Norman, Oklahoma, from Saturday afternoon to Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (noon CT) a decision Oklahoma athletics director Roger Denny said came "over our strong objection." When OU attempted to keep the game Saturday, Sankey told the school that failing to play at the directed time would result in a forfeit.
"Put simply, this decision isn't fair to our athletes, our institution or to Sooner Nation," Denny said in a statement released early Saturday. "But we've been given no other choice. We are obligated to play the game when directed, but we remain steadfast in our belief that the wrong outcome was reached this evening."
Ole Miss administrators couldn't secure a charter flight from Tupelo, Mississippi, to Oklahoma City after the groundstop, and the earliest they could book another flight was Saturday at 4:20 p.m., a team spokesperson told CBS Sports.
The trouble began Friday afternoon, when air travel across the country stopped. The Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports shortly before 3 p.m. CT after communication problems hit multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers, the facilities that manage high-altitude traffic between airports. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed switches and routers that became overloaded and shut down after they began producing inconsistent data. Thousands of flights were delayed or canceled before the FAA lifted the order at 7:15 p.m. CT, more than four hours after it began. It was only the third full groundstop in the country's history.
Most college football teams do not travel to game sites until the day before games, leaving many scrambling after the groundstop was ordered. All games in the FBS managed to stay on Friday and Saturday, with Ole Miss' trip to Oklahoma the only exception. Kick times across the country were slightly altered, including No. 2 Utah's game at No. 23 Arizona, which is now set to begin at 10:30 p.m. ET on Saturday after the Utes were unable to leave Salt Lake City Friday.
Ole Miss and Auburn were among four SEC teams grounded for several hours. Auburn's game at Mississippi State was moved to 3:15 p.m. CT Saturday as the Tigers left an airport and booked buses for a four-hour road trip to Starkville. No. 6 Texas was delayed until after 10 p.m. CT until boarding a flight to play No. 21 LSU on Saturday.
Every other traveling SEC team found a way, including Tennessee, which managed to reschedule a flight after the groundstop for its longest road trip of the season at Texas A&M.
Ole Miss players were sent home Friday afternoon and told to return to the football facility that evening for updates. Ole Miss flies out of Tupelo, Mississippi, a 55-minute drive from Oxford, and flies about 90 minutes to Oklahoma City.
"We are continuing to work through our options and coordinate with the appropriate groups regarding both travel and the game," an Ole Miss spokesperson told CBS Sports earlier Friday.
Ole Miss wanted to play Sunday and Oklahoma wanted to keep the game Saturday, CBS Sports reported Friday night. The league sided with the Rebels.
"We were told that Ole Miss explored every avenue to travel to Norman and play on Saturday as planned," Denny said. "But, unlike every other team traveling for competition tomorrow, they were unable to find a solution."
The game had been scheduled for 3:15 p.m. CT Saturday on SEC Network. Television plans for Sunday have not been announced.
"Rescheduling the game has a significant impact, particularly on our fans," Denny said. "Those who have made travel arrangements, accommodations and personal plans around a Saturday game now face unnecessary disruption and hardship. Their time, commitment and investment deserve greater consideration than they were afforded in the conference's decision tonight."
Oklahoma (5-4, 4-4 SEC) is coming off a 23-7 win at Florida in Jason Witten's first game as interim offensive coordinator. The Sooners need one more win to reach bowl eligibility.
Ole Miss (6-3) fell to No. 19 in the College Football Playoff rankings after a 42-7 home loss to now-No. 1 Georgia.
"We will continue to fight in the best interests of OU Athletics and always on behalf of our student-athletes and fans," Denny said.
