The NFL will not be the only football on the menu Sunday afternoon. An FAA flight stoppage on Friday forced the SEC matchup between No. 19 Ole Miss and Oklahoma to be moved back a day, and the teams will now square off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 15, at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma.
When the stoppage was announced Friday afternoon, the Rebels had not yet taken off for Norman, and the program began evaluating other ways to reach the game against the Sooners.
Busing was never a realistic solution. The drive from Oxford, Mississippi, to Norman takes roughly eight hours, and the game had originally been scheduled for a 3:15 p.m. CT kickoff on Saturday, leaving no workable window for a long road trip.
The FAA lifted the stoppage late Friday night, but by that point Ole Miss was unwilling to travel deep into the night and then take the field the following afternoon. The SEC ultimately shifted the contest to Sunday.
The scheduling change creates an unusual scene in Norman, where a ranked conference game will unfold right as the NFL kicks off its afternoon slate across the country.
The decision did not sit well with Oklahoma. Athletic director Roger Denny released a statement early Saturday making his frustration with the outcome clear.
"Put simply, this decision isn't fair to our athletes, our institution or to Sooner Nation," Denny said. "But we've been given no other choice. We are obligated to play the game when directed, but we remain steadfast in our belief that the wrong outcome was reached this evening."
Despite the Sooners' objections, the game will be played Sunday, and it is a major one for Ole Miss. The Rebels, carrying three losses, likely need to run the table to have any chance of sneaking into the College Football Playoff, which means overcoming the travel disruption and a beat-up running back room to win on the road.
For fans looking to tune in amid the crowded Sunday slate, kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 15. The game will air on SEC Network, and it is also available to stream on Fubo, which offers a free trial.
