Oklahoma fans were supposed to be in Norman on Saturday for the Sooners’ game against Ole Miss. Instead, they were left with a Sunday kickoff and a dispute over who should have to absorb the inconvenience.
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A few miles down the road, another Oklahoma athletic department saw an opening and made an offer. The University of Central Oklahoma also had a pointed jab at the SEC’s logistics.
The program announced that fans holding tickets to the postponed Oklahoma-Ole Miss game could attend its football and men’s basketball games for free on Saturday, November 14.
“Just like every other team in the country other than Ole Miss, our opponents were able to find a solution,” UCO’s Vice President for Athletics, Stan Wagnon, said in his statement.
“I’ve made the decision that all SEC fans with nothing to do today in Norman may show their OU-Ole Miss game ticket to gain free admission for today’s games at UCO.”
Unlike several Power 4 teams, the Bronchos were not changing their own schedule. Their football team is still set to host Missouri Western at 1 p.m. CT, while the men’s basketball team has Oklahoma Christian coming at 7:30 p.m.
The offer was a direct response to the frustration surrounding the SEC’s decision to move Oklahoma’s home game against Ole Miss to Sunday. The Rebels were unable to leave Oxford on Friday after the FAA issued a nationwide ground stop.
Although the restriction was lifted later that evening, the charter company Ole Miss contracted could not arrange a late-night departure. As a result, the team is scheduled to travel on Saturday instead.
Interestingly, Oklahoma had little say in the final decision. Athletic director Roger Denny said SEC commissioner Greg Sankey informed the university that the game would be moved to Sunday despite the Sooners’ strong objection.
Denny also said in his statement that Oklahoma was told that refusing to play at the assigned time would result in a forfeit. The game is now rescheduled for noon CT Sunday, or 1 p.m. ET.
“Rescheduling the game has a significant impact, particularly on our fans,” Denny said. “Those who have made travel arrangements, accommodations, and personal plans around a Saturday game now face unnecessary disruption and hardship.”
UCO’s VP for Athletics acknowledged that the ground stoppage had created extraordinary problems for teams across the country, but he was not prepared to let the comparison with Ole Miss pass without comment.
“If any SEC fans ‘explore every avenue’ but are unable to find their way to Edmond, I invite them to tune into the MIAA Network and watch UCO’s nationally ranked volleyball team play in the conference championship match at 6 PM,” Wagnon concluded.
In truth, Central Oklahoma’s football game is more than a convenient alternative for fans. It comes on the final date of the Bronchos’ 2026 schedule, with Missouri Western visiting Chad Richison Stadium for Senior Day.
UCO entered the matchup at 4-6 overall and 3-5 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. Missouri Western arrives at 3-7 and 2-6 in conference play.
The school also had 17 players preparing to play their final game for the program. That made the decision to keep the game on schedule particularly important. In all, UCO was not going to rearrange its Senior Day because another school’s Power Four matchup had been pushed back.
As for the men’s basketball game, Central Oklahoma is scheduled to host Oklahoma Christian at 7:30 p.m. at Hamilton Field House as part of the Central Region Challenge.
The Bronchos have opened the season with three losses at the D2CCA Midwest Tipoff Challenge before beating Texas A&M-Texarkana 88-65 and Minnesota Crookston 69-60 in their next two games.
In the SEC, though, Oklahoma’s dispute with commissioner Greg Sankey keeps growing as a program icon criticized the conference for bias and favoring Ole Miss.