Friday night turned into a scheduling scramble across college football. Teams were trying to find flights, charter companies were running out of options, and the FAA’s nationwide ground stop left programs unsure when they could travel.

By Saturday morning, most games were still on; however, Oklahoma’s was not. The SEC moved Ole Miss’ trip to Norman from Saturday to Sunday after the Rebels could not leave Oxford following the flight restrictions.

That decision didn’t sit well with Oklahoma, as the program’s Vice President released a strongly worded statement, and now Bob Stoops has made his feelings clear on November 14.

“This decision by Greg Sankey is absolutely wrong,” Stoops wrote on X. “All of the Power 4 teams found a way to make it to their games, but Ole Miss wouldn’t 🤔 ASU is flying across [the] country to UCF this AM to play today.”

In Stoops’ view, Sankey could have told the Rebels they risked a forfeit if they failed to find a way to Norman, even if that meant delaying the game. Instead, the Sooners were left with a Sunday kickoff they had opposed and a risk of forfeit.

In truth, Oklahoma had little choice, at least according to its Vice President.

The game was originally scheduled for 3:15 p.m. CT Saturday. The SEC announced late Friday night that it would instead be played at noon CT on Sunday, November 15.

Still, the television network for the rescheduled game had not been announced at the time of the announcement. Oklahoma athletic director and VP Roger Denny said the university had contacted Ole Miss and the conference as soon as it learned of the Rebels’ travel problems.

“Commissioner Sankey informed us of his decision to move our game to Sunday, over our strong objection,” Denny said in his statement. “He further informed us that our failure to play on Sunday at the directed time would result in a forfeit.”

Denny also criticized the move, saying it had caused unnecessary trouble for the university and its fans. He also made it clear that Oklahoma would still take the field, since the school had no choice but to accept the decision.

Stoops’ criticism lands differently because he coached Oklahoma for 18 seasons and won a national championship with the program. He knows the school and its place in the conference.

“He could have told Ole Miss they will forfeit if they didn’t find a way to Norman, even if game is delayed,” Stoops wrote on X. “But instead he didn’t!!”

ESPN’s Marty Smith, though, provided more context on Greg Sankey’s response to the crisis. The commissioner was in New York on Friday for a series of meetings and had put his phone away.

When he checked it, Smith reported, he had more than 30 messages about the FAA ground stoppage and the conference’s Saturday schedule.

“It was a national emergency, and we learned information in real-time just like everybody else,” Greg Sankey said as per Smith. He also described the timing as “unprecedented,” with air travel halted on the Friday before a full slate of games.

“It’s disappointing,” Sankey told Smith, discussing the logistical problems. He said the conference had to make decisions without knowing how long the disruption would last or what options would remain available to teams.

Sankey also defended the work of SEC staff members in Birmingham and across the conference. He said the lack of information made it difficult to know what questions needed answers, let alone settle on a plan.

“There’s no information, so you don’t even know what the questions are,” Sankey told ESPN. “It’s unprecedented, and we will have to prepare differently for a future with this possibility in mind.”

In all, the conference had to weigh a difficult set of travel problems, but Stoops was asking something more specific. Why was Oklahoma the team expected to adjust to a Sunday kickoff?

Could the SEC have found a way to bring Ole Miss to Norman without making the Sooners change their plans?