One of the most significant effects of the FAA ground stop, which lasted several hours Friday, was the havoc it wreaked on the weekend sports schedule, particularly in college football.
Many games will be played later than scheduled on Saturday to accommodate the road team’s delayed travel schedule. An SEC matchup between No. 14 Ole Miss and Oklahoma, however, was pushed back until Sunday.
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Previously scheduled for 4:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, the Rebels-Sooners clash will now begin at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, in the heart of the NFL slate. In its statement announcing the decision, the SEC said Ole Miss was unable to leave Oxford Friday evening and the team could now only leave Saturday afternoon.
The Oklahoma athletic department was, to say the least, not happy.
Immediately after the SEC announced the postponement, athletic director Roger Denny issued a lengthy statement complaining about Ole Miss’s inability to travel Friday, “unlike all other teams traveling for tomorrow’s competition,” and emphasizing the effect the delay would have on fans.
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Denny also revealed that SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey threatened Oklahoma with forfeit if it didn’t meet the new schedule. The full statement can be read below.
No. 14 Ole Miss enters the game clinging to College Football Playoff hopes, while unranked Oklahoma is all but eliminated at 5-4.
Statement from Oklahoma Athletic Director Roger Denny on Ole Miss Postponement
We recognize the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the ground stop and understand the challenges it has created for teams across the country. As soon as we learned of Ole Miss’ travel issues, we immediately began communicating with their staff and conference leadership. We’re told Ole Miss has explored every avenue to get to Norman and play Saturday as scheduled. But unlike all the other teams who will participate in tomorrow’s competition, they failed to find a solution. After several conversations with the league office, Commissioner Sankey informed us of his decision to move our game to Sunday, over our strong objection. After continued discussions, he further informed us that our failure to play on Sunday at the designated time would result in a forfeit.
The rescheduling of the match has a significant impact, particularly on our fans. Those who have organized their travel, accommodation and personal plans in advance of a Saturday match are now facing unnecessary disruption and difficulty. their time, commitment and investment deserve greater consideration than was given to them in tonight’s conference decision.
I understand that difficult decisions sometimes have to be made in extraordinary circumstances. But these decisions must also consider their impact on everyone involved. Simply put, this decision is not fair to our athletes, our institution, or Sooner Nation. But we have no other choice. We are obliged to play the game when asked, but we remain firmly convinced that the wrong result was achieved tonight.
We will continue to fight in the best interest of OU Athletics and always on behalf of our student-athletes and fans.
On Saturday, we’ll share more about game logistics and fan appreciation metrics.
Boomer earlier,
Roger
Gn sports
