Four Big 12 football teams will not travel Friday night ahead of their Week 11 games after a nationwide Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground stop disrupted flights across the country.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Utah, Baylor, Kansas State and Arizona State are all remaining on campus Friday night as the nationwide aviation disruption continues.
Thamel reported Friday evening that Utah would not depart for its game at Arizona, meaning all four affected Big 12 programs would be unable to make their scheduled trips.
“Sources say that there’s been no game dates officially moved,” Thamel wrote on X. “There’s been discussions about moving game times, but nothing is set yet.”
The situation creates significant uncertainty for Saturday’s Big 12 schedule, particularly with several conference championship contenders among the affected programs.
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FAA Outage Disrupts Four Big 12 Games
The FAA issued a nationwide ground stop Friday afternoon because of communications problems affecting air traffic control centers across the United States.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the disruption involved the country’s regional air traffic control centers, prompting the agency to halt departures for safety reasons.
The four affected Big 12 teams are scheduled for the following Saturday matchups:
- No. 2 Utah at No. 23 Arizona: 6:30 p.m. CT, FOX
- Baylor at No. 9 BYU: 2:30 p.m. CT, FOX
- Kansas State at TCU: 1:00 p.m. CT, ESPNU
- Arizona State at UCF: 2:30 p.m. CT, ESPN2
With all four visiting teams remaining at home Friday night, the possibility of Saturday travel could create logistical challenges for players, coaches and conference officials.
Other Big 12 programs, including Texas Tech, Kansas and Cincinnati, reportedly reached their destinations before the nationwide ground stop.
Big 12 Conference Issues Statement on FAA Ground Stop
The Big 12 Conference has now officially addressed the nationwide FAA ground stop that has disrupted travel plans for four conference football teams ahead of Saturday’s Week 11 games.
In a statement released Friday evening, the conference confirmed it is evaluating possible changes to Saturday’s 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 said.
“The conference will continue to monitor the travel disruptions alongside its member institutions and provide updates for Saturday’s games.”
As of the conference’s announcement, no games had officially been postponed or moved to another date, although potential kickoff adjustments remain under discussion.
Could Big 12 Week 11 Games Be Delayed?
As of Thamel’s latest report, no Big 12 games have officially been moved to another date.
However, discussions about adjusting kickoff times are underway as the conference evaluates the situation.
The stakes are particularly significant for Utah, which enters the weekend undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Utes are scheduled to face No. 23 Arizona in one of the conference’s biggest games of the season.
BYU and Baylor also have plenty at stake, with both programs still competing for a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game.
For now, the conference’s Saturday schedule remains unchanged, but that could depend on when teams are cleared to travel.
This is a developing story, and further updates are expected as the FAA and Big 12 assess the situation.
