FAA ground stop could disrupt college football team travel ahead of Saturday games

College football teams are facing the possibility of travel disruptions ahead of Saturday’s games after a nationwide FAA ground stop.

Although the rare nationwide ground stop issued by the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday afternoon has been canceled, the department announced Friday night, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said it will take some time to “unwind” what happened on Friday afternoon.

There are multiple reports of college football teams that haven’t made it to their Saturday game locations.

The ground stop and flight delays are prompting conference officials to assess potential schedule changes and are raising uncertainty over kickoff times and whether teams will arrive at their destinations in time.

Statement from the Southeastern Conference on FAA ground stop:

“The Southeastern Conference is aware of the FAA’s nationwide ground stop and the potential impact on team travel for this weekend’s competitions.
We are in close communication with our member institutions to assess potential disruptions and coordinate appropriate responses. The safety and well-being of student-athletes, coaches, and team personnel remain our highest priority.
We will continue to monitor developments and work with our institutions to determine whether any adjustments to scheduled competitions become necessary.”

The Big 12 Conference said it is evaluating potential changes to the college football schedule.

“Due to the national FAA ground stop impacting team travel, the Big 12 Conference is evaluating potential changes to Saturday’s football schedule. The Conference will continue to monitor the travel disruptions alongside its member institutions and provide updates for Saturday’s games.”

TCU said it is “actively monitoring the national ground stoppage as it has impacted Kansas State’s travel to Fort Worth. In coordination with the Big 12 and Kansas State, discussions around kick-off time are on-going. Any change to tomorrow’s 1 p.m. kick-off time will be announced as soon as a decision is made.”

Texas A&M Football said that after conversations with the SEC and Tennessee, Saturday’s game is expected to move forward as originally scheduled, with kickoff set for 2 p.m. CT at Kyle Field.

CBS News Texas will provide updates as they become available.