On Friday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide ground stoppage for all departing flights due to “extraordinary circumstances and reasons for safety.” That announcement came as numerous college football programs were preparing to leave for road games across the country.
After a lengthy halt to all air travel, the FAA lifted the ground stop on Friday night, but programs still have work to do in order to finalize their travel plans. In his press conference, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy recommended that schools reach out to the FAA about their travel arrangements.
“I would encourage those football teams to reach out to the FAA to schedule their flight times and make sure they have games going off tomorrow,” Duffy said.
As of Friday night, there were quite a few teams that haven’t taken off, and they are still working on alternative travel plans. That raises another set of questions, including timing and player safety. What if these teams can’t get the proper rest after spending most of Friday night on a bus, and will games have to be pushed back due to late arrivals?
Another wrinkle in all this is that on-air talent and behind-the-scenes staff for broadcasts will be affected by the groundstop. That will be something else to monitor as the chaos unfolds.
As teams and conferences sort out the next steps, here is the latest on how notable Week 11 matchups have been affected by the FAA’s groundstop.
SEC
In addition to sorting out which teams will be able to arrive on time for kickoff, the SEC is still assessing if any officiating crews for Saturday’s games have been affected by the groundstop, sources tell CBS Sports.
The conference issued a statement on the FAA’s ground stoppage on Friday night, saying it’s still evaluating the situation with all member institutions.
Auburn at Mississippi State
Kickoff: Moved to 4:15 p.m. from original kickoff time of 12 p.m. ET
Auburn wasn’t able to get off the ground before the FAA issued the stoppage, but the Tigers will take a bus to Starkville, sources told CBS Sports. Late Friday, the SEC announced the kickoff time would be adjusted from 12 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. “due to travel issues related to Friday’s FAA ground stoppage.”
No. 3 Alabama at Vanderbilt
Scheduled kickoff: 12:45 p.m. ET
The Crimson Tide already made plans to bus to Nashville and were unaffected by the stoppage, sources tell CBS Sports.
No. 8 Tennessee at Texas A&M
Scheduled kickoff: 3 p.m. ET
Sources tell CBS Sports that Tennessee will fly to its game against Texas A&M on Friday night now that the FAA has lifted its ground stoppage.
No. 22 Missouri at No. 1 Georgia
Scheduled kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET
The Tigers have arrived in Athens for their showdown against the top-ranked Bulldogs, sources tell CBS Sports.
No. 19 Ole Miss at Oklahoma
Scheduled kickoff: 4:15 p.m. ET
Ole Miss hadn’t arrived at the airport prior to the ground stoppage and after the order was lifted, determined the Rebels would not fly to Oklahoma on Friday night.
“We are continuing to work through our options and coordinate with the appropriate groups regarding both travel and the game,” an Ole Miss spokesperson told CBS Sports.
Florida at No. 11 Kentucky
Scheduled kickoff: 6:15 p.m. ET
Florida arrived in Lexington before the stoppage was put into place. The Gators and Wildcats are still set to square off on Saturday evening.
No. 6 Texas at No. 21 LSU
Scheduled kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Texas had not departed and was sitting on the tarmac when the ground stoppage was announced, sources tell CBS Sports. The Longhorns returned to the team facility after the order was issued and went through its usual Friday hotel routine — meetings and dinner. The Longhorns were finally headed to the airport Friday night and planned to fly to Baton Rouge.
No. 17 South Carolina at Arkansas
Scheduled kickoff: 7:45 p.m. ET
The Gamecocks landed in Arkansas prior to the stoppage, sources tell CBS Sports. South Carolina is set to put its four-game winning streak on the line against the Razorbacks. Additionally, the officiating crew will be set for kickoff.
Big Ten
Sources tell CBS Sports that Washington, Minnesota and Purdue are the only Big Ten teams impacted by the stoppage. Additionally, all officials will be available for their game assignments.
Northwestern at No. 20 Ohio State
Scheduled kickoff: 12 p.m. ET
Northwestern has landed in Columbus, per The Athletic. The Wildcats are scheduled for a noon kickoff against the Buckeyes.
Nebraska at Rutgers
Scheduled kickoff: 12:30 p.m. ET
The Huskers took off before the flight stoppage and have landed in Newark, New Jersey, sources tell CBS Sports.
No. 18 USC at No. 9 Indiana
Scheduled kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET
At roughly 2:30 p.m. ET on Friday, USC posted photos of players boarding the team plane with the caption, “in route.” The Trojans took off prior to the ground stoppage.
Michigan at No. 16 Oregon
Scheduled kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET
Sources tell CBS Sports that Michigan traveled to Eugene on Thursday. That decision paid dividends for the Wolverines as they were able to avoid Friday’s chaos.
Washington at Michigan State
Scheduled kickoff: 4:15 p.m. ET
Sources tell CBS Sports that Washington was grounded in Seattle. The Huskies are staring down a long trip to East Lansing with few good alternatives on Friday evening.
Minnesota at Penn State
Scheduled kickoff: 7 p.m. ET
Minnesota was grounded prior to taking off for its game against Penn State. The Golden Gophers are expected to fly to Penn State on Saturday, a source tells CBS Sports.
Purdue at No. 15 Iowa
Scheduled kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
The Boilermakers did not take off before the stoppage, but they will take a bus to Iowa City, sources tell CBS Sports.
ACC
Sources tell CBS Sports that all ACC schools are at the sites for their respective games. The conference is assessing its officiating situation, but the league believes it’s in a good place there as well.
No. 13 Wake Forest at SMU
Scheduled kickoff: 12 p.m. ET
Sources tell CBS Sports that Wake Forest has landed in Dallas for its early kickoff on Saturday. The Demon Deacons have not been affected by the ground stoppage.
Cal at Virginia
Scheduled kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET
The Golden Bears have arrived in Charlottesville, sources tell CBS Sports, which is good because that would have been a long drive from Berkeley.
Boston College at Notre Dame
Scheduled kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET
According to the team’s social media accounts, Boston College boarded the team plane and took off prior to the ground stoppage.
Stanford at Virginia Tech
Scheduled kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Similarly, the Cardinal would have had quite the trek from Palo Alto. Fortunately, Stanford made it to Blacksburg before the stoppage was implemented, sources tell CBS Sports.
Big 12
The Big 12 released a statement on Friday night, and the conference is evaluating all its options, including possible changes to the Week 11 schedule.
“Due to the national FAA ground stop impacting team travel, the Big 12 Conference is evaluating potential changes to Saturday’s football schedule,” the league said in a statement. “The Conference will continue to monitor the travel disruptions alongside its member institutions and provide updates for Saturday’s games.”
Cincinnati at Iowa State
Scheduled kickoff: 12 p.m. ET
The Bearcats have landed in Des Moines as they get set to play the Cyclones in the early window on Saturday, sources tell CBS Sports.
Kansas State at TCU
Scheduled kickoff: 2 p.m. ET
The Wildcats were stuck on the tarmac at the time of the stoppage, sources tell CBS Sports. If Kansas State were to take a bus, it’s just over a seven-hour drive from Manhattan to Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs have announced that they are in discussions with Kansas State about the kickoff time.
Arizona State at UCF
Kickoff: Moved to 5:30 p.m. ET from original kickoff time of 3:30 p.m. ET
Arizona State faces one of the longest treks of the weekend — more than 2,000 miles from Tempe to Orlando. Sources tell CBS Sports the Sun Devils are preparing to fly out on Saturday morning ahead of their mid-afternoon kickoff against the Knights.
Baylor at BYU
Scheduled kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET
Baylor is grounded in Waco, and it will try to fly out on Saturday morning, per ESPN. That creates a small window to arrive in time for the game against BYU in Provo.
No. 2 Utah at No. 23 Arizona
Scheduled kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Sources tell CBS Sports that the Utes will not fly out from Salt Lake City on Friday night. They will return home and try to fly out on Saturday morning. The Big 12 is expected to push back the kickoff time due to the Utes’ travel issues, a source told CBS Sports.
No. 12 Texas Tech at No. 25 Oklahoma State
Scheduled kickoff: 9:30 p.m. ET
The Red Raiders have landed in Stillwater, sources tell CBS Sports. The major Big 12 clash between Texas Tech and Oklahoma State is still on as scheduled.
Notable group of six games
James Madison at UConn
Scheduled kickoff: 12 p.m. ET
James Madison made it to UConn prior to the stoppage. The Dukes are still slated to take on the Huskies at noon on CBS Sports Network.
Tulane at Rice
Scheduled kickoff: Moved to 4:30 p.m. ET from original kickoff time of 2 p.m. ET
Sources tell CBS Sports that Tulane did not take off prior to the stoppage, but is expected to bus to Houston for its game vs. the Owls.
FAU at Tulsa
Scheduled kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET
The Owls have been grounded in Florida as they hope to reach Tulsa for their matchup against the Golden Hurricane, sources tell CBS Sports.
Oregon State at No. 24 Boise State
Scheduled kickoff: 6 p.m. ET
Sources tell CBS Sports that Oregon State has not left for its game against Boise State. That game has major College Football Playoff implications for the Broncos, so this will be one to monitor closely.
UNLV at New Mexico
Scheduled kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
UNLV returned to the airport after the stoppage was lifted, as it prepared to fly Friday to New Mexico, a source told CBS Sports. The Rebels are slated to take on the Lobos in a game with major College Football Playoff implications.
Utah State at SDSU
Scheduled kickoff: 9:30 p.m. ET
The Aggies are still in Logan as they evaluate their options ahead of a game against SDSU, sources tell CBS Sports. Utah State has some time with a Pac-12 After Dark kickoff time.
NDSU at Hawaii
Scheduled kickoff: 11 p.m. ET
Given that flying is really the only way for NDSU to reach Hawaii, it’s a good thing the Bison arrived at 5 a.m. on Friday, sources tell CBS Sports.
