Oklahoma AD Blames SEC After Ole Miss Game Rescheduled to Sunday Due to FAA Ground Stop

Ole Miss was forced to move its game against Oklahoma to Sunday after a nationwide Federal Aviation Administration ground stop stranded the team in Mississippi, BroBible reported.

The SEC informed Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny that his team would forfeit if they refused to play the Rebels on Sunday at noon. Kickoff is officially rescheduled for noon on Sunday.

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Denny blamed the conference for the last-minute disruption. He argued that the decision disregards fans, athletes, and the institution.

“We recognize the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the ground stoppage and understand the challenges it created for teams across the country. As soon as we learned of Ole Miss’ travel issues, we immediately began communicating with their staff and our conference leadership,” Denny told BroBible.

Denny said that the conference issued an ultimatum regarding the schedule change. Commissioner Greg Sankey informed Oklahoma that failing to play on Sunday at the directed time would result in a forfeit.

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“After multiple 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 directed time would result in a forfeit,” Denny told BroBible.

The athletic director detailed the disruption for ticket holders. Fans who arranged travel and lodging around a Saturday kickoff now face sudden schedule changes.

“Rescheduling the game has a significant impact, particularly on our fans. 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 tonight,” Denny told BroBible.

Denny expressed frustration with the final verdict from league leadership. He said that the athletic department had no alternative but to comply.

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“I understand that difficult decisions sometimes must be made under extraordinary circumstances. But those decisions must also consider the impact on 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 this evening,” Denny told BroBible.

Oklahoma staff must now shift stadium security, concessions, and parking operations to Sunday. Weather forecasts predict 40-degree temperatures with rain for the rescheduled kickoff.

While other college football programs secured alternative flights or drove to their road games, Ole Miss could not depart from Tupelo Regional Airport. The JetBlue operating crew timed out during the ground stop, and Tupelo lacks commercial traffic or relief crews after 10:00 p.m.