The Federal Aviation Association’s decision to issue a ground stop — which saw thousands of flights across the United States postponed — wreaked havoc on the sports world.
The stoppage was lifted after a little more than four hours. The remnants of the declaration are clear for all to see, however. In no case was that more evident than in Oklahoma’s tilt with Ole Miss.
Initially scheduled to take place on Saturday, the Sooners and Rebels will instead meet on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. The decision caught a fair few by surprise, including Oklahoma’s athletic director, who had some choice words for his conference higher-ups after the decision was made.
Here’s what you need to know.
MORE: How historic FAA ground stop impacted college football, other sports
Oklahoma AD issues ‘strong objection’ after SEC threatens Sooners with forfeiture
The SEC’s decision to move Oklahoma’s clash with Ole Miss to Sunday wasn’t without controversy. Sooners athletic director Roger Denny issued a stern statement objecting to the decision, which he said came only after the conference threatened Oklahoma with forfeiting the fixture should it not be played on Sunday.
Denny revealed that the Rebels exhausted every option for traveling to Norman to make sure the game took place on Saturday as planned.
“But, unlike every other team traveling for competition tomorrow, they were unable to find a solution,” Denny said.
https://t.co/6z039iPC1m
— Roger Denny (@Oklahoma_AD) November 14, 2026
Denny said the Sooners didn’t want to play on Sunday. But they were left with no choice: Denny alleged that SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey threatened to give them a forfeit if they did not turn up for Sunday’s matchup.
“Rescheduling the game has significant impact, particularly on our fans,” Denny said. “Those who have made travel arrangements, accommodations and personal plans around a Saturday game now face unnecessary disruption and hardship. Their time, commitment and investment deserve greater consideration than they were afforded in the conference’s decision.
“I understand that difficult decisions must be made under extraordinary circumstances. But those decisions must also consider the impact of everyone involved. Put simply, this decision isn’t fair to our athletes, our institution or to Sooner Nation. 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.”
The SEC said the conference only opted to push the game back to Sunday after “a late-night departure could not be accommodated” by the charter company Ole Miss typically works with. The Rebels will instead depart for Norman on Saturday afternoon.
“They’ll probably send their carnival barker out there to accuse me of pandering again,” Denny told On3 on Saturday. “And candidly, I don’t care. My job and my duty is to our players, our university and our fan base. If they don’t like the way we handle our business, I just don’t much care about that.”
Broadcast information for Sunday’s game initially scheduled to be on SEC Network — wasn’t made immediately available. The broadcast will undoubtedly draw fewer eyes given its time slot, forced to compete with the heart of the Week 10 slate of NFL games.
