Oklahoma AD Rips SEC’s “Wrong Outcome” After Ole Miss Travel Chaos Leaves Sooners Facing Forfeit Threat
from Essentially College Football
The FAA ground stop grounded more than flights, it threw Oklahoma into a scheduling mess with the SEC.
Friday’s nationwide flight stoppage moved the originally scheduled game between Ole Miss and Oklahoma by a whole day. It would now take place on Sunday, November 15, at 1 p.m. ET. And this didn’t sit well in Norman.
Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny came out with a blunt statement and revealed that they had strongly objected to the change, but that commissioner Greg Sankey told them a forfeit would follow if it did not play at the new time. He didn’t hesitate to call this decision unfair.
“This decision isn’t fair to our athletes, our institution, or to Sooner Nation. We’ve been given no other choice,” Denny wrote in the official statement, shared on X. “We are obligated to play this game when directed, but we remained steadfast in our belief that the wrong outcome was reached this evening.”
And former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops seemed to understand where Denny is coming from. He openly questioned why the SEC did not place the responsibility on Ole Miss to find a way to reach Norman.
“This decision by Greg Sankey is absolutely wrong,” Stoops wrote on X. He pointed to Arizona State’s cross-country trip to UCF as an example of another program managing to travel despite the disruption.
According to Stoops the conference could have threatened Ole Miss with a forfeit instead of forcing Oklahoma to accept a Sunday game.
Which brings us to the question: why, if several other teams could reach their location, was Ole Miss not able to reach Norman?
Why Ole Miss Couldn’t Reach Norman on Time
The problem stemmed from the Rebels’ travel arrangements following the FAA disruption. According to the SEC, the charter company Ole Miss had contracted could not arrange a late-night flight even after the ground stop was lifted. Further complications involving the charter and pilot availability, including expired crew duty limits, pushed the team’s departure back until Saturday afternoon.
Explaining the circumstances behind the postponement, the SEC said, “The Ole Miss football team was unable to depart Oxford Friday night due to the FAA ground stoppage.”
With a Friday departure no longer possible, the Rebels were left unable to reach Norman for the original Saturday kickoff. The conference ultimately decided that moving the game to Sunday was the only workable option.
Denny didn’t seem to buy into this, he even seemed to have taken a swipe at Ole Miss for their inability to arrange travel.
“We were told that Ole Miss explored every avenue to travel to Norman and play on Saturday as planned,” Denny wrote. “But, unlike every other team traveling for competition tomorrow, they were unable to find a solution.”
Denny also raised concerns about Oklahoma fans. He specifically highlighted the situation facing Oklahoma supporters who had planned to attend the game at Memorial Stadium in Norman.
Moving the game from Saturday to Sunday created additional complications for fans who had already arranged their travel and schedules around the original kickoff. Denny described the resulting disruption as unnecessary and argued fans deserved more consideration.
“Their time, commitment, and investment deserve greater consideration than they were afforded in the conference’s decision tonight,” he added.
The questions were not misplaced, given Ole Miss was not the only SEC program affected by Friday’s FAA advisory.
Auburn also experienced travel complications ahead of its matchup against Mississippi State in Starkville.
The SEC moved that matchup to 4:15 p.m. ET Saturday. The game had been set for noon, so the later start gives both programs extra time.
Texas and Tennessee also faced travel issues before making plans to attempt departures on Friday night. Tennessee’s matchup against Texas A&M, however, was expected to proceed at its scheduled 3 p.m. ET kickoff, according to the Aggies’ announcement.
Travel arrangements for officiating crews also became a concern. However, every SEC officiating crew was on its respective campus Saturday despite the ground stop.
Friday’s nationwide ground stop was only the second ordered by the FAA since September 11, 2001.
With Oklahoma obligated to play Ole Miss on Sunday despite its strong objections, the SEC’s decision has added another layer of tension to the Week 11 matchup. Whether the controversy continues beyond kickoff remains to be seen, particularly after Denny’s public criticism of the conference’s handling of the situation.