Week 11 of the Southeastern Conference schedule has gotten off to a rough start, as the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop on Friday afternoon. Several SEC teams have not reached their destinations for Saturday’s games because they were on planes ready to take off when the FAA announced the ground stop.
The SEC issued a statement on Friday evening about the FAA ground stop.
“The Southeastern Conference is aware of the FAA’s nationwide ground stop and the potential impact on team travel for this weekend’s competition, the SEC wrote on X.
“We are in close communication with our member institutions to assess potential disruptions and coordinate appropriate responses. The safety and well-being of student-athletes, coaches, and team personnel remain our highest priority.
We will continue to monitor developments and work with our institutions to determine whether any adjustments to scheduled competitions become necessary.”
Ole Miss, Texas and Tennessee Have Yet to Reach Their Destination
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported at 5:49 p.m. ET that three SEC schools have yet to arrive at their destinations: Ole Miss, Texas, and Tennessee.
Texas is traveling to Baton Rouge to take on LSU at 7:30 p.m. ET. Ole Miss is heading to Norman to face Oklahoma at 4:15 p.m., and Tennessee is heading to College Station to take on Texas A&M at 3:00 p.m.
If the teams cannot get flights to reach the games, the SEC may have to adjust the schedule.
Officials Seem to Be All at Their Destinations
The SEC received good news around 7:00 p.m. that all eight official crews scheduled to work Saturday’s conference games have arrived at their destinations, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. This means none of the games will face issues with officials not arriving due to FAA travel delays.
However, the three programs that have yet to leave their cities have all gotten off the plane and headed back to their facilities. Texas football reporter CJ Vogel reported at 5:41 p.m. that Texas had departed and was heading back to the facility. Ole Miss is also expected to return to its facility, and Tennessee has done the same.
This article will be updated with more information.
SEC Issues Statement After FAA Ground Stop Disrupts Several Teams