It’s less than eight hours from Oxford, Mississippi to Norman, Oklahoma. A police escort could shave an hour off the run.
So why didn’t Ole Miss simply drive to play Oklahoma after the FAA ground stop Friday afternoon?
Advertisement
Because for some unknown reason, Ole Miss more than likely believes it still has an outside chance to reach the College Football Playoff, that’s why.
CFP rankings live predictions: How will Week 11 games shake up bracket?
More: Oklahoma AD calls out SEC, ‘carnival barker’ Finebaum after Ole Miss game rescheduled
They won’t say it, and their official statement doesn’t address it, but that’s what this is about.
Even if it’s a pipe dream.
Ole Miss didn’t make the drive and will play Oklahoma on Sunday afternoon, because Ole Miss didn’t want to play the game after driving through the early hours of Saturday morning. Didn’t want to put any undue stress on a team that needs to be absolutely perfect over the final three weeks of the season — and needs plenty of help outside its orbit to reach the CFP.
Advertisement
That’s it, full stop.
But Ole Miss can’t say that, can’t admit to that last-gasp hope of returning the CFP, and have the SEC agree to a Sunday game. So they cooked up a story about flight personnel and their expiring clocks, and it sure sounds good because it’s more than likely true.
But Ole Miss was informed of the ground stop at the same time as every other college football team preparing to play a road game this weekend. Every other team made it work.
So Ole Miss and Oklahoma will play Sunday because the SEC, for some reason, told Oklahoma that Ole Miss tried, and it will be in Norman for the game Sunday. And if the Sooners aren’t, they forfeit the game.
Advertisement
Check me if I’m wrong here, Sparky, but that’s exactly what the SEC should’ve said to Ole Miss. The game is Saturday at 9 or 10 p.m. local, be there or forfeit the game.
Short of an act of God, we play football on Saturdays. If that means you’re inconvenienced, so be it.
We’re all professionals, we all get paid to play and coach a game.
And I don’t want to hear self-serving statements from Oklahoma or Ole Miss or the SEC about “the health and welfare” of our student-athletes. That ridiculous 24-team CFP you just signed off on puts eight teams in line to potentially play 17 games, beginning in 2027.
Advertisement
They’re 18-22-year-olds (unless we’re talking about Indiana, circa 2025), they’re young men in the best shape of their lives. They can deal with a seven-hour bus trip, and getting into Norman in the early morning hours of Saturday.
When the FAA announced the nation-wide ground stop at 3:54 p.m. ET (2:54 CT) Friday afternoon, Ole Miss should’ve immediately made alternate plans to travel by bus — while trying find other flight accommodations.
Give yourself a deadline: If we don’t have information about definite flight plans by 8 p.m., we’re driving to Oklahoma. We’ll get in town by 4 a.m., get our eight hours of sleep, and begin preparing for a 9 or 10 p.m. CT kick.
If Ole Miss had informed the SEC they were driving, the SEC would’ve moved the game to whatever time worked for both teams. Oklahoma would’ve played at any time.
Advertisement
Instead, Ole Miss waited until the last possible minute to declare we can’t get a plane, we can’t get a flight crew, we can’t get whatever we need to make it work. So we’re not playing Saturday.
And that’s just not how it works. At 4 p.m. ET, the SEC should’ve told all member schools traveling to football games that there’s no excuse for not playing the game on Saturday.
Find a way to get to the game, even if you have to drive. Or forfeit the game.
Pipe dream CFP hopes, be damned.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB. Listen to him daily, from 12-2 p.m., on 1010XL-Jacksonville.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ole Miss had one job: Get to Oklahoma. But SEC bailed it out because of CFP pipe dream
