A nationwide FAA ground stop kept Ole Miss from reaching Oklahoma City in time to kick off Saturday, forcing the SEC to move the game to Sunday under threat of forfeit.
Oklahoma was supposed to host Ole Miss on Saturday at 3:15 p.m. Central Time, but the FAA's nationwide ground stop on Friday afternoon left Ole Miss unable to find accommodations through its contracted charter company, and the Rebels couldn't fly to Oklahoma City until Saturday. The SEC announced at 12:12 a.m. that the game would shift to Sunday at Noon Central, making Oklahoma and Ole Miss the first FBS matchup pushed to another day because of the disruption.
Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny was not having it. He released a statement late Friday night calling the move unfair to the Sooners, their institution and their fans, saying "isn't fair to our athlete, our institution or to Sooner Nation. But we've been given no other choice." Denny said SEC commissioner Greg Sankey told him that Oklahoma would forfeit if it refused to play Sunday instead.
In a Saturday interview with On3, Denny went further, calling the SEC's decision inexplicable. His frustration centers on the logistics of the reschedule and what it means for fans who had already planned to attend or watch on Saturday. The game's television coverage remained unsettled.