FAA ground stop leaves College Football teams stranded on eve of crucial Saturday showdowns
FAA issues nationwide ground stop, halting flights across US
FOX Business correspondent Grady Trimble provides a firsthand account of the nationwide FAA ground stop while stranded aboard a plane at Chicago O'hare International Airport. Trimble describes the situation on the tarmac as flights are halted across the country, raising concerns about widespread travel disruptions and delays.
The FAA ground stop that was issued on Friday afternoon is obviously having an effect on travel across the country, but it's also having a major impact on college football teams scheduled to play on Saturday.
The second nationwide ground stop since 9/11 could disrupt travel over the next few days as passengers wait for the FAA to allow flights to resume ahead of a busy travel weekend.
But concern is growing across college athletics for teams that have yet to depart for Saturday’s games.
According to multiple sources, some of those schools who are currently looking for alternative travel include Texas, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Washington, Minnesota, Baylor, Tulane, Auburn, Arizona State, Oregon State and others.
USC has already taken off for their trip to Bloomington for a showdown with Indiana, and are currently in the air.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian of the Texas Longhorns watches action during a game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Cotton Bowl on October 10, 2026, in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
For instance, Texas was scheduled to depart Austin and had already boarded its plane for Baton Rouge ahead of Saturday's showdown against LSU, but the FAA had issued the ground stop before they had taken off for Louisiana.
In the case of a school like Tennessee, the Vols were scheduled to depart McGee Tyson Airport in Knoxville at 4 p.m. ET, but the FAA notice was issued, and the team was not able to get into the air. How they end up getting to College Station is still to be determined at this moment, though the situation remains fluid.
Other schools across the country were lucky under the circumstances, and had already departed for their road game destination.
WEEK 8 AP TOP 25 POLL SEES BIG TEN GAIN EQUAL FOOTING ON SEC AND UNBEATEN UTAH EARN MAJOR RESPECT
Some schools also had the luxury to take buses to their game, like Alabama traveling to Nashville for its game against Vanderbilt.
This could turn out to be the case for a team like Auburn, who is scheduled to play Mississippi State on Saturday in Starkville.
But, for No. 2 Utah, the Utes were grounded in Salt Lake City before they were scheduled to take off for their matchup with Arizona on Saturday night.
Schools typically travel on Friday afternoons for Saturday games, usually holding a walkthrough at their facility before heading straight to the airport for departure.
Tennessee Volunteers running back Daune Morris (17) runs against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the second half at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Oct. 17, 2026. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
Also, most schools will have security checkpoints actually set up at their facilities, so they can just get off the bus and board the airplane that is taking them to their destination.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
This is a developing story, and we will continue to provide updates here at OutKick and Fox News.
Trey Wallace is the Sr. College Sports Reporter for OutKick.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.