PALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 23: Detailed view of a football on the field at Stanford Stadium before an ACC college football game between the Stanford Cardinal and the NC State Wolfpack played on October 23, 2026 at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, Californ
DALLAS - A nationwide ground stop stranded multiple college football teams on Friday afternoon as all departing flights came to a halt.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued the ground stop just before 4 p.m., with U.S. Secretary Sean Duffy citing a communication issue.
What we know:
While some Texas teams made it out on time or pivoted to buses, others faced travel uncertainty.
According to On3, North Texas decided to drive to San Antonio for their Saturday game against UTSA.
Bussing was an option for a few other teams, but not everyone.
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Teams scramble to change travel plans
Jamie Plunkett, who covers TCU, reported that Kansas State was set to have a meeting Friday evening after it looked like driving to Fort Worth was not going to happen. The team is expected to try to fly out on Saturday. Their game against TCU is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday.
There was also uncertainty for the Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M.
The Longhorns were supposed to travel to Louisiana for their game against LSU until flights were grounded.
Meanwhile, the Vols were stuck in Tennessee ahead of their match-up against the Aggies. Reports indicated that the team was looking at trying to leave Friday night.
A few teams avoid delays
Dig deeper:
Texas Tech was among the teams that managed to head out Friday morning before all flights came to a stop. The team deplaned in Stillwater ahead of their Saturday game against OSU.
SMU’s opponent, Wake Forest, also successfully landed.
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Travel on game day
What's next:
Many other college teams across the nation were also facing issues because of the ground stop. Several Big 12 teams shifted their plans to fly out on Saturday, according to On3.
The ground stop was officially lifted around 7:30 p.m. on Friday after hours of travel delays. It remains unclear if this could have any effect on Saturday’s games.
This is a developing story, and it will be updated as we learn more.
The Source: The information in this story is sourced from ESPN, On3, and other college football team reporters.