Play Sunday or Forfeit: The SEC Moves Ole Miss-Oklahoma After the Ground Stop, and the Sooners Say It's the Wrong Call

Friday's nationwide flight stop lasted a little over four hours. Its effect on one Southeastern Conference game will last the whole weekend.

The SEC has moved No. 19 Ole Miss at Oklahoma from Saturday afternoon to Sunday, with kickoff now set for 1 p.m. Eastern, noon in Norman, ESPN reported ^[1]. The game had been scheduled for 4:15 p.m. Eastern on Saturday ^[1]. The league pointed to the Rebels' travel problem: once the ground stop was lifted, the charter company Ole Miss had hired could not handle a late-night departure, so the team will now fly to Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon ^[1].

Oklahoma did not take the news quietly. Athletic director Roger Denny said commissioner Greg Sankey made the decision over the school's "strong objection," according to ESPN ^[1]. Denny also said the Sooners were told that refusing to play at the new time would mean a forfeit, CBS Sports reported ^[2]. He called it "the wrong outcome" and said Oklahoma was left with no real choice but to show up and play, according to On3 ^[3].

How One Game Became the Exception

The timing could hardly have been worse for college football. The FAA halted departures across the country shortly before 4 p.m. Eastern on Friday because of a communications breakdown, then lifted the order around 8:15 p.m., after nearly four and a half hours, The Washington Post reported ^[6]. Friday evening is exactly when road teams board planes for Saturday games, and thousands of flights were canceled or delayed.

Programs across the country scrambled. Some loaded buses, some found new flights, and some rebuilt their travel plans hour by hour. By the end of the night, every other FBS game had stayed on its Friday or Saturday date. Ole Miss at Oklahoma was the only one pushed to Sunday, according to CBS Sports ^[2].

That is the heart of Oklahoma's complaint. In his statement, Denny noted that Ole Miss explored its options but, unlike every other team traveling this weekend, could not find a way to Norman for Saturday ^[1][2]. CBS Sports reported that Ole Miss wanted the Sunday date while Oklahoma wanted to keep the game on Saturday, and the conference sided with the visitors ^[2].

Denny also spoke up for the people in the stands. He said the change puts an unnecessary burden on Sooner fans who had planned their weekends around a Saturday kickoff ^[2][3].

What Is Still at Stake

None of this changes what the game means on the field. Ole Miss entered the week 6-3 overall and 4-3 in the SEC, and Oklahoma was 5-4 and 3-3 in league play, according to 247Sports ^[4]. The Rebels are trying to regroup after a 42-7 loss at Georgia last Saturday, The Ticket noted ^[5]. Oklahoma needs one more win to become bowl eligible, and a home win over a ranked conference opponent would be the best kind.

Related The Last Seven Points: Lopez and Garland Rally the Clippers Past Shai's 40, 113-112, and Hand OKC a Rare Three-Game Skid

Ole Miss now faces an unusual week. Instead of a normal Friday trip, a Saturday walk-through and a Saturday kickoff, the Rebels fly in on game eve and play on a Sunday, then have one day fewer to prepare for their next opponent. Oklahoma loses the same day of rest and recovery, and gets a schedule change it never asked for.

My Take

Start with the obvious: nobody in Oxford or Norman caused this. A federal telecommunications failure grounded the country, and both schools were left dealing with the fallout. Ole Miss did not invent a charter problem, and Oklahoma is not wrong to be frustrated. Both things can be true.

Still, I understand why Roger Denny is upset. When every other program in the country found a way to get where it was going, it is fair to ask why one team couldn't, and why the home team and its fans should pay the price. A forfeit threat is a heavy hammer to swing at a school that did nothing wrong. A commissioner has to make a call, and Greg Sankey made his. But the league owes Sooner fans a clear explanation, not just a new kickoff time.

There is something else worth saying. A noon kickoff on a Sunday lands right on top of the hour when a great many Oklahoma families are in church. College football has always been a Saturday tradition for a reason, and plenty of fans who would have filled those seats will now have to choose. The people who pay for this sport deserve more weight in these decisions than they usually get.

Here is the part I respect. Denny made his objection in public, on the record, and then said his team would play. That is how grown men handle a decision they don't like. Now it is up to two banged-up teams to give their fans a good game on an odd day, and the team that handles the disruption with the most discipline will probably be the one that walks out of Norman with a win.