SEC releases statement amid FAA ground stop affecting Week 11 football games
Published:
SEC football for Week 11 of the 2026 college football season has been put in peril because of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground stop that was implemented on Friday night.
With all 16 SEC teams scheduled to play 8 SEC football games on Saturday, and with the road teams for those 8 games set to travel to their Week 11 destinations for Saturday’s games, there are severe questions about what will happen with the schedule when or if the ground stop is lifted.
What ends up happening with Saturday’s games, the SEC spoke up on Friday night with this statement about the complicated situation that goes far beyond SEC athletics, SEC football and college football:
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 members 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.
For now, everything is in a holding pattern regarding SEC athletics as a whole and certainly those 8 SEC football games that are scheduled to be played in just a few short hours on Saturday.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
