A nationwide halt to departing flights on Friday afternoon forced schedule changes for nine college football games. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed the ground stop at 3:54 p.m. ET, and it lasted a little more than four hours. As the disruption unfolded, teams across the country had to reconsider their travel plans, while conferences and broadcasters adjusted Saturday’s schedule.
The affected games stretched from Washington’s trip to Michigan State to Utah’s visit to Arizona. Most were moved to later kickoff times, but Ole Miss at Oklahoma was postponed until Sunday.
## Updated kickoff times
The revised Saturday schedule included these changes:
– **Washington at Michigan State:** 5:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network
– **Kansas at West Virginia:** 3:30 p.m. ET
– **Auburn at Mississippi State:** 4:15 p.m. ET
– **Arizona State at UCF:** 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU
– **Tulane at Rice:** 4:30 p.m. ET
– **Florida Atlantic at Tulsa:** 7:15 p.m. ET
– **Baylor at BYU:** 7 p.m. ET
– **Utah at Arizona:** 10:30 p.m. ET
– **Ole Miss at Oklahoma:** Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (noon CT)
Several of the Saturday games had been scheduled earlier. Washington–Michigan State was initially set for 4:15 p.m. ET, while Kansas–West Virginia had been due to start at 5:30 p.m. ET. Kansas and West Virginia moved up two hours, taking the time slot vacated by Arizona State–UCF.
Auburn–Mississippi State was originally scheduled for noon. Arizona State–UCF was set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2 before moving to 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU. Tulane–Rice had been scheduled for 2 p.m., and Florida Atlantic–Tulsa for 3:30 p.m.
The postponement of Ole Miss–Oklahoma was the only move to Sunday reported by late Friday. The game was rescheduled for 1 p.m. ET, leaving Oklahoma with a shorter preparation period before its next game against Texas A&M. Oklahoma’s athletic department objected to the decision by SEC commissioner Greg Sankey.
## Travel disruptions put teams under pressure
The ground stop created different challenges for teams depending on their location and travel plans. Auburn, which is 5-4, faced a roughly four-hour bus ride to Mississippi State, contributing to the game’s move out of its original noon window. Mississippi State entered the matchup at 4-5.
Arizona State and UCF were both 5-4. With each needing one more win to reach bowl eligibility, the travel disruption came at a significant point in the season. Florida Atlantic, by contrast, had already secured bowl eligibility. Washington’s trip to East Lansing presented a particular logistical challenge because there was no practical way to make the journey from Seattle by road.
Arizona State’s team left its plane and planned to fly nearly 2,000 miles to Orlando on Saturday morning. Washington returned to campus before heading back to Boeing Field. Tulane chose to travel by bus for the roughly five-hour trip to Houston.
Washington assistant athletic director Jeff Bechthold said the team had not boarded its plane when the FAA stopped flights. The program was waiting for further information, as were travelers across the country.
The disruption also affected Utah’s plans. Its game was moved three hours later as the team attempted to leave on Friday night, but the flight could not proceed after the crew timed out. Utah’s late kickoff against Arizona was set for 10:30 p.m. ET.
Oregon State also had to find a way to reach Boise State. A nine-hour bus trip was considered unworkable, so the Beavers went to the Eugene airport late Friday night to catch a flight to Idaho for their Saturday game.
## What caused the ground stop?
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy attributed the disruption to aging hardware and routers overwhelmed by data. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said that patches to the older system also contributed to the overload. Both officials said there was no indication of an attack.
Flight-tracking figures showed more than 7,700 cancellations and 8,000 delays on Friday. The nationwide halt was reported as the second such ground stop since September 11.
The schedule changes came during Week 11, when teams were approaching the end of the regular season. For programs on the edge of bowl eligibility, including Auburn, Arizona State and UCF, unexpected travel and reduced rest added difficulty to games with postseason stakes. Ranked teams such as Utah, BYU and Ole Miss also faced disruption while pursuing conference-title and College Football Playoff goals. For those teams, altered travel, delayed opponents or a Sunday kickoff meant preparing for important games under unusual circumstances.
