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Bob Stoops, Paul Finebaum Weigh in on Oklahoma-Ole Miss Scheduling Issue

The Sooners and Rebels Will Play at Noon Sunday in Norman, a move that upset plenty connected to OU.
Ryan Aber|
Former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops with OU president Joe Harroz
Former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops with OU president Joe Harroz | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

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NORMAN — Legendary Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops added his voice to the throng of Sooners officials and fans upset about the movement of this weekend's game beteern OU and Ole Miss.

"This decision by (SEC commissioner) Greg Sankey is absolutely wrong," Stoops posted on X. "All of the power 4 teams found a way to make it to their games, but Ole Miss wouldn't. .. Greg Sankey instead of telling OU they would forfeit if they didn't change the day, he could've told Ole Miss they will forfeit if they didn't find a way to Norman even if the game was delayed. But instead he didn't!!"

The game was initially scheduled for 3:15 p.m. Saturday at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

But Friday's nationwide ground stoppage by the Federal Aviation Administration put that game time in question as Ole Miss hadn't left on their trip before the stoppage took effect.

After the stoppage was lifted, Ole Miss said it would not travel Friday night, instead making the trip Saturday.

Shortly after midnight, the SEC announced the game would move to noon Sunday instead of being delayed.

While many games around the country were pushed back to later Saturday due to the stoppage, the Oklahoma-Ole Miss game is the only one that was pushed to Sunday.

OU athletic director Roger Denny was not pleased with the move, posting on X early Saturday morning that the SEC threatened the Sooners with forfeit if they didn't play the game Sunday.

SEC Network's Paul Finebaum went hard after Denny on the network Sunday morning.

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"What I don't think is correct is Roger Denny, the athletic director there, pathetically pandering to his fanbase at midnight to try to cover up whatever. I don't know. But Mr. Denny, the commissioner of the Southeastern Conference made a decision for the entire conference and for the safety of everyone. He's not concerned about what you're doing with your fanbase. And what Roger Denny has been doing all year is pandering to his fanbase. Before the season, Matt (Barrie), he gave his football coach, Brent Venables, a contract extension. They were ranked No. 9 in the country. They have now lost four games and are out of the playoffs. Why did he do that? He's an impulsive leader. He's a former tax attorney. I'm not making or castigating tax attorneys or attorneys in general but they run differently and what he did here is really against the code of the SEC. To call out a commissioner during a national crisis and emergency. He's thinking about himself and his fanbases, who's already on tinder hooks because of the season and I think he is dead wrong and quite frankly I think it's unbecoming of a leader in college athletics or anywhere to do what he did."

It's far from the first time Stoops have Finebaum have been on different sides of an issue.

Finebaum called Stoops "irrelevant" in 2015 just before Stoops' Sooners won at Tennessee and two years later, called Stoops "a total failure" concerning discipline after Baker Mayfield's arrest in Arkansas.

The SEC announced Saturday morning that the game would be broadcast on the SEC Network.

Not only does the move create plenty of logistical problems for the Sooners, including securing workers on short notice for Sunday's game but also navigating multiple sporting events happening at the same time on campus.

The 14th-ranked Sooners women's basketball program is scheduled to take on Southern at 1 p.m. Sunday at Lloyd Noble Center while the volleyball team is slated to take on No. 15 Vanderbilt at 2 p.m. Sunday at McCasland Field House — immediately north of Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

The change also cuts down on the Sooners preparation for next weekend's home finale against Texas A&M. The Rebels are scheduled to take on FCS Wofford next weekend.

Sunday's game will be Oklahoma's first regular-season Sunday matchup since opening the 2019 season against Houston at home.

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Ryan Aber
RYAN ABER

Ryan Aber has been covering Oklahoma football for more than a decade continuously and since 1999 overall. Ryan was the OU beat writer for The Oklahoman from 2013-2025, covering the transition from Bob Stoops to Lincoln Riley to Brent Venables. He covered OU men's basketball's run to the Final Four in 2016 and numerous national championships for the Sooners' women's gymnastics and softball programs. Prior to taking on the Sooners beat, Ryan covered high schools, the Oklahoma City RedHawks and Oklahoma City Barons for the newspaper from 2006-13. He spent two seasons covering Arkansas football for the Morning News of Northwest Arkansas before returning to his hometown of Oklahoma City. Ryan also worked at the Southwest Times Record in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and the Muskogee Phoenix. At the Phoenix, he covered OU's national championship run in 2000. Ryan is a graduate of Putnam City North High School in Oklahoma City and Northeastern State University in Tahlequah.

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