A nationwide flight departure halt on Friday, November 13, disrupted travel for college football teams preparing for Saturday road games, forcing programs to consider bus trips, later flights and possible kickoff changes. Several ranked teams remained grounded, while others had reached their destinations before the Federal Aviation Administration imposed the stoppage. There was no timetable for resolving the disruption.
Secretary Sean Duffy said a communications problem affecting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers prompted the ground stop at U.S. airports, with FAA technicians investigating. The travel uncertainty raised questions about whether teams could arrive in time and get sufficient rest before playing, particularly if they faced overnight bus journeys. Conferences were also checking whether officiating crews could reach their assignments.
In the SEC, Auburn planned to travel by bus to Starkville for its noon ET game against Mississippi State, sources told CBS Sports. No. 8 Tennessee was exploring alternatives after its scheduled Friday departure for Texas A&M was halted. No. 6 Texas was already on the tarmac when the stoppage began, leaving its travel plans uncertain ahead of a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff at No. 21 LSU.
No. 19 Ole Miss had not reached the airport when departures stopped. According to 247Sports, players were told to go home and return at 7 p.m. local time, with a Sunday kickoff against Oklahoma among the possibilities. Other SEC visitors avoided the disruption: No. 3 Alabama had already arranged bus transportation to Vanderbilt, while Missouri, Florida and South Carolina had reached their destinations. The SEC said Friday night it was evaluating the situation with its member schools.
Washington, Minnesota and Purdue were the only Big Ten teams affected, sources told CBS Sports, and all conference officials were available for their assignments. Washington remained in Seattle before its trip to Michigan State, while Minnesota was grounded ahead of its visit to Penn State. Purdue planned to take a bus to Iowa City. Michigan had traveled to Eugene on Thursday, and Northwestern, Nebraska and USC had departed before the halt.
The ACC's teams had all reached their game locations, sources told CBS Sports. The conference was still reviewing officiating arrangements but believed those were in good shape. The Big 12, meanwhile, said Friday night that it was considering changes to Saturday's schedule as it monitored travel problems with its schools.
Kansas State was stuck on the tarmac before its trip to TCU, which said the schools were discussing kickoff timing. A bus journey from Manhattan to Fort Worth would take just over seven hours. Arizona State was preparing to fly Saturday morning for its 3:30 p.m. ET game at UCF, sources told CBS Sports. Baylor, grounded in Waco, also intended to attempt a Saturday morning departure for BYU, according to ESPN.
No. 2 Utah had not left Salt Lake City ahead of its evening matchup at No. 23 Arizona, with a drive to Tucson estimated at roughly 12 hours. Cincinnati had reached Des Moines, and No. 12 Texas Tech had arrived in Stillwater for its game against No. 25 Oklahoma State, sources told CBS Sports.
Other grounded programs included Tulane, FAU and Oregon State, while UNLV returned to campus and Utah State remained in Logan assessing its options, according to CBS Sports sources. James Madison had reached UConn, and NDSU arrived in Hawaii at 5 a.m. Friday, avoiding the disruption before its Saturday game.
