Auburn’s trip to Mississippi State got thrown into a travel scramble Friday after the Federal Aviation Administration’s nationwide ground stop disrupted flights across the country.
The Tigers had been scheduled to fly to Tupelo, Mississippi, for Saturday’s game against Mississippi State, but they were unable to get off the ground before the stop was issued, a source told AL.com. Auburn will now bus from the airport in Columbus, Georgia, to the team’s hotel in Tupelo, a move that is expected to alter the Tigers’ Friday night schedule. The drive from the Columbus Airport to Tupelo is about four hours and 49 minutes, according to Google Maps.
Auburn was the only one of Alabama’s six FBS programs affected by the ground stop.
Alabama’s travel plans were already locked in before the season. The Crimson Tide were set to bus to Nashville for Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt, and that arrangement stayed in place Friday, AL.com learned. A Vanderbilt spokesman said there were “no issues” with on-field or game operations officials traveling to the Alabama-Vanderbilt game.
Other in-state programs also avoided problems. UAB flew to Philadelphia to face Temple with “no issues,” according to a team spokesman.
Jacksonville State had planned from the start to bus to Bowling Green, Kentucky, for its Saturday matchup with Western Kentucky. Troy’s team also arrived by bus Friday afternoon as scheduled for Saturday night’s “Battle for the Belt” against South Alabama in Mobile.
The FAA said the ground stop was being imposed “due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety.” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said a communications issue was affecting all Air Route air traffic control centers that direct planes between airports nationwide.
“The @FAAnews issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them.”
It was the first nationwide ground stop since January 2023, when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned.
The ripple effect reached beyond Auburn. ESPN reported that Texas, Tennessee and Ole Miss were among other SEC teams caught in the disruption and in “flight limbo.” The SEC said late Friday that it was monitoring the situation for “potential disruptions” and “appropriate responses.”
Auburn and Mississippi State are set for one of Saturday’s earliest kickoffs, with the game scheduled for 11 a.m. CT at Davis Wade Stadium on ESPN2.
Alabama-Vanderbilt follows at 11:45 a.m. on the SEC Network. UAB and Jacksonville State both play on ESPN+, with UAB kicking at noon and Jacksonville State at 2:30 p.m.
South Alabama and Troy close out the in-state slate at 6 p.m. Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium, also streaming on ESPN+.
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