The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a nationwide grounding of all flights Friday, lasting more than four hours. The unexpected shutdown sent shockwaves through the sports world, leaving college football programs scrambling to reach their Saturday games.
Penn State monitors situation, prepares for Minnesota matchup
Penn State University confirmed it is in close contact with the Big Ten Conference and the University of Minnesota. The Nittany Lions are scheduled to host the Gophers Saturday at 7 p.m. and will continue to monitor the evolving travel situation.
“Penn State is in communication with the Big Ten Conference and the University of Minnesota. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and will share updates when available,” the university said in a statement.
Major programs forced to reroute or switch to buses
Most college football teams travel the day before their games, and the FAA ground stop left many schools stranded. No. 2 Utah, No. 8 Texas and No. 9 Tennessee were among the teams caught in the standstill. After the grounding lifted, Texas and Tennessee returned to their campuses and quickly arranged new flights to arrive before kickoff.
Auburn chose to charter buses to Mississippi State, prompting the SEC to shift the game’s start time from noon to 4:15 p.m. ET. No. 19 Ole Miss announced it would not travel Friday night to Oklahoma and is still evaluating options for Saturday’s contest.
Purdue sent its squad from West Lafayette, Indiana, by bus to face No. 15 Iowa. In the Big 12, the Kansas‑at‑West Virginia game was moved to a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff. Arizona State, after deplaning and resting Friday, plans to fly to Orlando on Saturday for its matchup with UCF, now set for 5:30 p.m. ET.
Other conferences adjust schedules
Baylor’s game at No. 10 BYU was rescheduled for 7 p.m. ET, according to an ESPN source. Oregon State, slated to play No. 24 Boise State, initially began a bus trip to Idaho before returning to the airport Friday evening; the Beavers will now fly to Boise later Friday.
Group of 6 schools also felt the impact. Wyoming, traveling to UTEP, and Colorado State, seen walking through Northern Colorado Regional Airport, both awaited clearance to depart for games against Washington State. Tulane, scheduled to fly to Houston for its Rice matchup, arranged five buses for a 350‑mile drive Friday night.
Professional leagues not immune
The disruption extended beyond college football. NBA teams, including the Brooklyn Nets, were grounded while en route to Saturday games. The Detroit Pistons had already reached Miami, while the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls and Memphis Grizzlies faced travel uncertainty after Friday night contests.
Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said, “It’s part of it. You just adapt,” reflecting the improvisational mindset forced on teams by the FAA’s emergency action.
Other sports and travel plans
In the NHL, 14 games were slated for Saturday. The Florida Panthers arrived before the grounding, but the San Jose Sharks remained in California awaiting clearance to travel to Utah.
Women’s college basketball also felt the ripple effect. USC’s JuJu Watkins and teammates, on their way to South Carolina, were forced to deboard and return to the Galen Center after the ground stop was issued.
Soccer teams faced similar challenges. The Utah Royals were already in Washington, D.C., for a National Women’s Soccer League semifinal, while the Kansas City Current’s flight to New York for a semifinal against Gotham FC remained uncertain.
Despite the chaos, the U.S. men’s national team’s CONCACAF Nations League quarter‑final against Haiti in Miami proceeded as planned, with both squads already in town.
Overall, the FAA’s unprecedented nationwide grounding highlighted the fragility of modern sports travel and forced leagues, schools and professional teams to adapt quickly, ensuring that the majority of scheduled contests could still be played.
Original reporting: Allentown News – 6abc Philadelphia — read the source article.
