Other1 min read

FAA ground stop disrupts college football

By · Via NPR · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Widespread travel disruptions stemming from Friday's federal air traffic halt forced schools to delay or completely reschedule multiple matchups throughout the weekend. Programs like Auburn and No. 2 Utah saw their games pushed back by hours, while Florida Atlantic shifted its kickoff to Saturday evening after missing Friday flights. For No. 19 Ole Miss, travel barriers prompted the SEC to move its contest against Oklahoma entirely to Sunday afternoon.

Key points

  • The Southeastern Conference rescheduled the Ole Miss-Oklahoma game to Sunday afternoon, p…: The Southeastern Conference rescheduled the Ole Miss-Oklahoma game to Sunday afternoon, pitting the broadcast directly against unaffected NFL games.
  • Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy noted that flight cancellations and delays persisted…: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy noted that flight cancellations and delays persisted even as airports gradually resumed normal operations.
  • The University of Oklahoma responded to the new Sunday schedule by offering students free…: The University of Oklahoma responded to the new Sunday schedule by offering students free admission and selling select concessions for two dollars.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

The Federal Aviation Administration's ground stop on Friday has led not only to travel headaches, but also schedule changes and delays in college sports.

Many college football teams were in airports Friday on their way to upcoming games when the nationwide ground stop was issued and thousands of flights were canceled. The FAA on Saturday said airports were returning to normal operations, but that delays and cancellations would continue through the day.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy acknowledged the ground stop's impact on college football. Several games on Saturday were delayed for hours.

"If you look at the cost of what happened yesterday, we're talking if you like football — I know we've had some disruptions to the college football schedule. Some games are being moved," Duffy said during a news conference Saturday. "That's not the most important thing, but we do want to move teams around the country so we can have playoffs happen."

Utah, ranked No. 2 in the College Football Playoff Rankings, will kick off against Arizona in Tucson at 8:30 p.m. local time — a three-hour delay.…

Other