Pat McAfee found a way to turn Friday’s travel chaos into a Saturday morning bit that fit right into the “College GameDay” circus.
With the FAA’s ground stop briefly disrupting flights after a telecommunications outage affected air traffic control, ESPN’s crew had already made it to Boise State before the announcement hit. That didn’t stop the show from leaning into the moment, and McAfee delivered the punchline by arriving on horseback for the broadcast.
Rece Davis opened the door for the joke by telling viewers, “And as you might have heard, people have had some travel difficulties. That includes Pat McAfee.
I think Pat is trying to find his way here. We’re certainly hopeful we find him soon and that McAfee can make it to the set.”
McAfee answered with a theatrical entrance, riding in on Rodeo as music played and the Boise State crowd reacted. “Don’t you worry about an airplane,” McAfee proclaimed.
“Don’t you worry about an automobile. I’m riding on Rodeo.
A horse that was, of course, built to be among these Broncos fans.”
Boise State fans greeted him with plenty of noise as he made his way to the set. Once he arrived, McAfee played it up even further, thanking Rodeo for not “bucking [his] ass off.”
He also admitted the whole thing was a little out of his comfort zone. “I have never rode a horse before,” McAfee admitted. “I certainly lied to them to let that happen.”
The bit gave “College GameDay” a memorable visual on a morning shaped by the FAA’s four hour-long ground stoppage, and McAfee’s entrance landed well with the Broncos crowd.
In Other News...
Oklahoma Suddenly Faces Game Day Uncertainty With Ole Miss Stuck Traveling
A nationwide ground stop tied to a telecommunications outage has turned game-week travel into a headache for a handful of college football teams, including Ole Miss, which is scheduled to face Oklahoma. The FAA said all departing U.S. flights were halted after the issue affected Air Route Traffic Control Centers, leaving travel plans in limbo and adding an unexpected layer of uncertainty to the buildup around the matchup.
For Oklahoma, the immediate concern is less about the field and more about whether its opponent can get where it needs to go on time. The FAA and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy both confirmed the disruption, and with flights still grounded until further notice, any resumption is expected to bring delays as well. For a game week already packed with logistics, the situation leaves the Sooners waiting on travel updates as much as anything else. [Read more 🡒]
Jason Witten Just Got A Massive Vote Of Confidence At Oklahoma
Jason Wittens move into coaching has already drawn plenty of attention, and Jon Gruden just added another layer to the conversation with a strong endorsement of his former player. Gruden pointed back to Wittens days with the Raiders and praised the same traits that made him such a reliable presence on the field: work ethic, preparation and leadership.
For Oklahoma, that kind of praise matters because Witten is still building his coaching rsum at the high school and college levels. Grudens perspective does not come with an announcement or a headline-grabbing development, but it does reinforce the idea that Wittens transition has been taken seriously by people who know what it takes to coach at a high level. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas Ole Miss Game Suddenly Has A Travel Problem
A nationwide ground stop has thrown a wrinkle into the weekend college football schedule, and Oklahomas upcoming matchup with Ole Miss is suddenly part of the uncertainty. The Rebels were reportedly told to head back home after being stuck on the tarmac, a sign of how quickly travel plans can unravel when flights across the country are disrupted.
Florida Atlantic and Texas Tech are among the other programs dealing with the same mess, with some teams unable to depart and others arriving just before the ground stop hit. For the Sooners, the immediate question is whether the Ole Miss game stays on its current timetable or gets pushed back to Sunday, adding another layer of uncertainty to a week already shaped by logistics instead of football. [Read more 🡒]