FAA travel disruption pushes Auburn-Mississippi State kickoff into afternoon

Auburn's game at Mississippi State has been moved to 3:15 p.m. Central on Saturday, November 14, after Friday's nationwide flight stoppage disrupted the Tigers' journey. Mississippi State confirmed that the Southeastern Conference changed the kickoff because of travel problems linked to the Federal Aviation Administration's action.

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The game at Davis Wade Stadium had been scheduled for 11 a.m. Central. According to WBRC, Auburn's players were already aboard their aircraft and preparing to depart for Starkville when the ground stop forced them to get off. An Auburn spokesperson subsequently told the station that the team would make the trip by bus instead of flying.

WBRC reported that Auburn did not reach its hotel in Tupelo, Mississippi, until late Friday night. The revised kickoff moves the contest from its original morning slot into the afternoon, a difference of four hours and 15 minutes. Television arrangements remained unsettled in the announcements available early Saturday, with officials saying coverage details would follow.

Mississippi State also revised its stadium arrangements around the later start. Gates at Davis Wade Stadium will open at 1:15 p.m. Central, two hours before kickoff. The school said its discounted concession period would run from 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. The venue remains unchanged, and the contest is still scheduled for Saturday despite the disruption to Auburn's travel.

Elsewhere in the SEC, Mississippi's visit to Oklahoma was moved to Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern, Yahoo Sports reported. Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny opposed the change and said the conference had threatened a forfeit if the Sooners refused. That account of the threat came from Denny's statement.

Yahoo Sports also reported that Utah's game at Arizona was delayed from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Eastern. Reporter Ross Dellenger said Utah could not depart Friday after its pilots reached their permitted working limits. The Utes were instead scheduled to fly to Tucson on Saturday morning.

Other revised starts reported by Yahoo Sports included Arizona State at UCF at 5:30 p.m. Eastern and Washington at Michigan State at the same time. Kansas-West Virginia moved earlier, to 3:30 p.m. Eastern, while Baylor's visit to BYU shifted to 7 p.m. Eastern.