The Texas Longhorns football program is currently experiencing significant travel delays as it prepares for its scheduled game against the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge. The disruption was caused by a nationwide ground stop ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday afternoon, November 13, 2026. This unexpected halt to air travel has left the Longhorns and several other college teams in a state of limbo while they attempt to reach their destinations for weekend contests.
The FAA issued the order at 2:54 p.m. Central Time, citing air traffic control communications problems that were affecting facilities across the country. The agency stated that the ground stop was implemented for safety reasons, requiring all departing aircraft to remain on the ground until further notice. This is the first time the FAA has issued such a nationwide order since a computer system outage disrupted flights in January 2023.
Texas is not the only major college football program affected by the halt. According to reports from On3 and ESPN college football senior writer Pete Thamel, numerous teams were grounded as they prepared to travel. In the Big 12 Conference, Baylor, Kansas State, Utah, and Arizona State were among those impacted. The SEC saw travel disruptions for Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Texas, while the ACC grounded all of its visiting teams.
Other conferences also reported teams in limbo. The Big Ten had Minnesota, Purdue, and Washington affected, while Oregon State, Wyoming, and North Texas were also confirmed to be delayed. Additionally, On3 noted that Tulane was among the programs whose travel plans were disrupted. In contrast, several other teams, including Florida, Missouri, Texas Tech, and Duke, had already reached their destinations before the order was issued.
The timing of the ground stop is particularly concerning for the Texas Longhorns, as it comes just one day before their scheduled contest against LSU at Tiger Stadium on Saturday, November 14, 2026. It remains unclear how long the team's travel plans will be delayed or if the disruption will have any impact on the status of the game itself.
The Southeastern Conference Football released a statement regarding the situation, though the specific details of that statement were not fully elaborated in the initial reports. WAFB has reached out to both LSU officials and the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport to gather more information on how the local authorities and the hosting team are managing the arrival of the visiting squad.
As this story develops, fans and officials are monitoring the situation closely to see if alternative ground transportation can be arranged or if the flight delay will be resolved quickly enough to allow the team to arrive in time for the weekend game. Updates are expected as more information becomes available from the FAA and the involved athletic departments.
The incident highlights the vulnerability of college sports schedules to national infrastructure issues, particularly when games are scheduled on weekends with limited time for travel. The Longhorns' ability to navigate this logistical hurdle will be a key focus for Louisiana sports fans over the next 24 hours.
