Oklahoma athletics director Roger Denny expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Southeastern Conference after the league rescheduled the Sooners' home game against Ole Miss from Saturday to Sunday. The decision followed a nationwide flight groundstop that disrupted travel plans for several college football teams. Denny stated that the move was made over the school's strong objection, noting that the team was obligated to play when directed despite believing the outcome was incorrect.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey announced that the matchup in Norman, Oklahoma, would now take place at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday. Previously, the game was set for 3:15 p.m. CT on Saturday. Sankey informed Oklahoma that if the team did not play at the directed time, it would result in a forfeit. Denny released a statement early Saturday, saying the decision was unfair to the athletes, the institution, and the fanbase, but the team had no other choice.
The disruption stemmed from a Federal Aviation Administration groundstop issued shortly before 3 p.m. CT on Friday. Communication problems at multiple Air Route Traffic Control Centers caused switches and routers to become overloaded, leading to inconsistent data. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy attributed the issue to these technical failures. The order was lifted at 7:15 p.m. CT, more than four hours after it began, making it only the third full groundstop in the nation's history.
Ole Miss was unable to secure a charter flight from Tupelo, Mississippi, to Oklahoma City during the outage. The earliest available flight for the Rebels was not until Saturday at 4:20 p.m., according to a team spokesperson. Because of this delay, the conference sided with Ole Miss, which wanted to play on Sunday, while Oklahoma pushed to keep the Saturday schedule.
Most FBS games managed to remain on their original Friday and Saturday dates. However, other SEC teams faced significant travel hurdles. Auburn had to book buses for a four-hour road trip to Mississippi State after being grounded. No. 6 Texas was delayed until after 10 p.m. CT to board a flight to play No. 21 LSU. Tennessee also rescheduled a flight for its long road trip to Texas A&M.
Denny argued that Ole Miss explored every avenue to travel to Norman for the Saturday game. He noted that unlike every other team traveling for competition, the Rebels were unable to find a solution to play on the originally scheduled day. The Oklahoma athletics director emphasized that rescheduling had a significant impact on fans who had made travel and personal plans for Saturday.
The game had been scheduled to air on the SEC Network on Saturday, but television plans for the new Sunday slot have not yet been announced. Ole Miss players were sent home on Friday afternoon and instructed to return to the football facility for updates. The team flies out of Tupelo, which is a 55-minute drive from Oxford, with a flight time to Oklahoma City of approximately 90 minutes.
Oklahoma enters the matchup with a 5-4 record, including a 4-4 conference mark. The Sooners are coming off a 23-7 win at Florida, which was the first game for interim offensive coordinator Jason Witten. The team needs one more victory to become bowl eligible.
Ole Miss, currently ranked No. 19, improved to a 6-3 record after a recent 42-7 home loss to No. 1 Georgia. Denny concluded his statement by saying the program would continue to fight in the best interests of OU Athletics, always acting on behalf of the student-athletes and fans.
