On Friday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide ground stoppage for all departing flights due to "extraordinary circumstances and reasons for safety." That announcement came as numerous college football programs were preparing to leave for road games acrossy the country.
There is no timetable for when the issue will be resolved, and that has left teams scrambling for alternate plans. Fortunately, some teams have already arrived at their destination, but quite a few high-profile matchups could be affected by the disruption.
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.
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 13, 2026
At the moment, there are a handful of top-25 teams that still haven't taken off, and they are looking for alternate forms of transit. That raises another set of questions, including timing and player safety. What if these teams can't get the proper rest after spending most of Friday night on a bus, and will games have to be pushed back due to late arrivals?
Those are questions without answers at the moment as neither the NCAA nor the inidividual conferences have addressed how the ground stoppage might affect Saturday's schedule.
For now, here is the latest on how notable Week 11 matchups have been affected by the FAA's ground stoppage.
Northwestern at No. 20 Ohio State
Scheduled kickoff: 12 p.m. ET
Northwestern has landed in Columbus, per The Athletic. The Wildcats are will be set for a noon kickoff against the Buckeyes.
No. 13 Wake Forest at SMU
Scheduled kickoff: 12 p.m. ET
Sources tell CBS Sports that Wake Forest has landed in Dallas for its early kickoff on Saturday. The Demon Deacons have not be affected by the ground stoppage.
No. 8 Tennessee at Texas A&M
Scheduled kickoff: 3 p.m. ET
Sources tell CBS Sports that Tennessee was supposed to depart at 4 p.m. ET for its longest road trip of the season. With the flight grounded, the Vols have begun exploring alternate options.
No. 18 USC at No. 9 Indiana
Scheduled kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET
At roughly 2:30 p.m. ET on Friday, USC posted photos of players boarding the team plane with the caption, "in route." The Trojans took off prior to the ground stoppage.
IN route 🛫@united pic.twitter.com/PJo50DA1vV
— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) November 13, 2026
No. 22 Missouri at No. 1 Georgia
Scheduled kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET
The Tigers have arrived in Athens for their showdown against the top-ranked Bulldogs, sources tell CBS Sports.
Michigan at No. 16 Oregon
Scheduled kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET
Sources tell CBS Sports that Michigan traveled to Eugene on Thursday. That decision paid dividends for the Wolverines as they were able to avoid Friday's chaos.
No. 6 Texas at No. 21 LSU
Scheduled kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
Texas was sitting on the tarmac when the ground stoppage was announced, sources tell CBS Sports. The Longhorns may have to explore other travel plans, but the good news is that they get a late kickoff in Baton Rouge.










