FAA ground stop could derail college football games as teams scramble to travel

Ground stop disrupts team travel

The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop late Friday afternoon, halting teams that were preparing to fly to weekend competitions. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said a communication issue was affecting air traffic control centers.

The cause of the issue and the duration of the stop were unclear. The Southeastern Conference said it was monitoring developments and working with member schools to assess possible schedule changes.

Teams face uncertain departures

Texas had planned to fly from Austin to Baton Rouge for Saturday’s game against Louisiana State. After the stop, the Longhorns left their plane and returned to campus while awaiting word on when they could depart.

Purdue switches to bus

Purdue arranged to travel by bus to Iowa City on Friday evening after its plane was grounded, a university spokesperson confirmed. The team is scheduled to face the Hawkeyes on Saturday evening.

The travel disruption could extend beyond college football. USC said its women’s basketball team was grounded in Los Angeles before a scheduled Sunday morning game against the University of South Carolina. College basketball, NHL, NBA and NFL games could also be affected.