Baylor’s trip to BYU is suddenly hanging in the balance after the nationwide FAA grounding of flights created travel problems for multiple college football teams on Friday.
The Bears are set to face BYU in Provo, Utah, at 2:30 p.m. CT, but that schedule could get blown up if Baylor can’t get out tonight. According to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, Baylor has already returned to campus, and the earliest it could leave for Utah would be Saturday morning.
That creates a real timing issue for a game that already has a tight window. If Baylor can’t make the trip in time for the original kickoff, one option would be pushing the game later on Saturday. Arizona State and UCF are dealing with a similar situation, and they’re reportedly looking at a later start as well.
A Sunday makeup game would be the obvious backup in a normal season, but BYU’s agreement says the program does not play on Sundays. That was written and signed off on years ago when BYU joined the Big 12, so a Sunday solution appears highly unlikely.
If the game gets pushed to Monday, the ripple effect gets even bigger. Baylor would have to juggle its routine at a critical point in the season, and the Bears would then turn around to host Texas Tech in Waco next week. That would leave them with only about four days to reset before facing another CFP top 15 team.
For now, the biggest obstacle is simple: the flights aren’t going anywhere, and Baylor’s schedule is at the mercy of that ground stop. A later Saturday kickoff remains the most realistic path if the teams can make it work.
In Other News...
BYU Heads Into Baylor With A Defensive Depth Concern
BYU will head into Saturdays matchup at Baylor with a noticeable hit to its defensive depth after linebacker Isaiah Glasker was ruled out because of an injury suffered in a previous game. The Cougars are also preparing to be without cornerback Evan Johnson, tight end Roger Saleapaga II, tight end Will Zundel and wide receiver Kila Keone, thinning the roster on both sides of the ball as they get ready for a late-season road test.
The timing adds another layer to a game that already carries plenty of weight, with kickoff set for 5 p.m. MST on Nov. 13, 2026. For BYU, the bigger question now is how it absorbs those absences and whether the next-man-up approach can hold up against a Baylor team that will be looking to take advantage of any gaps in the Cougars rotation. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Baylor Schedule Shakeup Adds New Tension To Ranked Home Clash
A ranked home matchup that already had plenty of attention picked up a little more intrigue Friday when BYUs game against Baylor was pushed back from its original 1:30 p.m. Mountain time kickoff to 5 p.m. after an FAA ground stop delayed Baylors travel. The change gives the Cougars a longer wait before they take the field, while also shifting the rhythm of a game that had been set for an early afternoon window.
The matchup will still have a national spotlight, with FOX carrying the broadcast and KSL NewsRadio airing it along with extended pregame coverage beginning at noon. The FAA ground stop was issued Friday afternoon and lifted later that evening, but the schedule shuffle leaves one more wrinkle around a game that was already drawing plenty of interest in Provo. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Faces A Brutal Test With Big 12 Hopes At Stake
BYU heads into a matchup with Baylor carrying more than just the usual late-season pressure, because the Cougars Big 12 hopes are still very much tied to how they handle the kind of game that can tilt a race in a hurry. Bear Bachmeier has helped keep BYU in position, and now the challenge is less about style points than about surviving a Baylor defense that has been built to make life difficult and force an offense to stay patient, efficient and mistake-free.
The timing adds another layer, since this is the sort of November test where conditions can matter as much as personnel. Baylor brings the defensive edge, BYU brings the conference stakes, and the Cougars know they cannot afford a slip if they want to keep the path to the title picture open. It is the kind of game that can reveal whether BYU is ready to turn a promising season into something bigger. [Read more 🡒]