Friday's national airspace shutdown stranded travelers across the country, including college football teams scrambling to reach weekend games. While every other FBS road team made it to its destination — some by bus or delayed charter — Ole Miss said it could not reach Oklahoma for Saturday's contest.
The Rebels charter through JetBlue out of Tupelo, Mississippi, and their flight crew timed out, requiring a 10-hour rest period or a replacement crew. An eight-hour bus trip was the alternative. The SEC responded by giving Oklahoma a choice: move the game to Sunday or accept a forfeit.
Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny issued a scathing statement criticizing the decision. "We were told that Ole Miss explored every avenue to travel to Norman and play on Saturday as planned," Denny wrote. "But, unlike every other team traveling for competition tomorrow, they were unable to find a solution."
The mandate drew immediate backlash from Oklahoma, citing fans' sunk costs for hotels and flights, stadium workers' schedules, Sunday church traditions in the Midwest, campus Olympic sports conflicts, and a looming weather forecast. The Sooners also face a short-week turnaround before a tough game against Texas A&M, while Ole Miss plays Wofford.
The dispute ignited a war of words on social media among the schools, the conference, and their supporters, with Denny taking aim at longtime SEC media figure Paul Finebaum for siding with the league and Ole Miss.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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