How the Schedule Change Could Impact Oklahoma vs. No. 19 Mississippi

Friday’s FAA ground stop made for many long nights across the country, and things in Norman and Oxford were no different.

Mississippi’s football team was counted among the thousands who did not take off before the stoppage brought air travel to a halt yesterday.

As things began to get going again Friday evening, it appears the crew tasked with flying Mississippi to Norman had timed out, prompting a major decision.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey moved the contest to Sunday at 12 p.m. — a decision that was met with disagreement from Oklahoma’s administration — but the word of Sankey ruled the day.

Mississippi will arrive in Norman on Saturday afternoon, and the teams will prepare to battle for the fourth time ever in the middle of an NFL Sunday.

The delay changes a handful of factors surrounding the contest.

Weather Changes

If played as originally scheduled, the projected temperature at kickoff would have been 54 degrees, but there were chances of rain moving in throughout the game to complicate matters.

That storm system is forecasted to sit over Norman once it arrives and pour overnight and deep into Sunday.

College programs have equipment staff experienced in keeping game balls dry and doing their best to maintain good playing conditions despite showers that start mid-game, but the circumstances project to be quite different on Sunday.

The field is likely to be bogged down after a full night’s rain, with no signs of things letting up by kickoff.

Oklahoma’s last home game against South Carolina was played through wet conditions, and the OU defense had one of its worst tackling efforts of the season.

The Sooners struggled to bring down Gamecock star LaNorris Sellers and running back Matt Fuller.

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

While Trinidad Chambliss is built differently than Sellers, the Mississippi quarterback is also hard to bring down and can make defenses pay if they are unable to end the play at first contact.

Add in that pushing the game back may have affected fans’ ability to get to the contest, and the Sooners’ home field advantage may also take a slight hit.

Impact on the Week Ahead

Mississippi likely isn’t too worried about what the move to Sunday means for its preparations heading into the next week.

Wofford is scheduled to make the trip to Oxford next week, as Mississippi takes a quick step outside of SEC play before closing the regular season with the Egg Bowl on Black Friday.

Oklahoma does not have the same luxury.

The Sooners’ home finale is against Texas A&M on Nov. 21 at 11 a.m.

The Aggies are also home this week, so like Oklahoma, they just needed an opponent to make it into town.

Tennessee was able to get to College Station, and the Volunteers will take on Texas A&M at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

OU will now have to take on the Aggies on a short week.

Winning under such circumstances is far from impossible, however.

Oklahoma’s season-opener was shifted up to Friday before the season, which afforded the Sooners an extra day to prepare for Michigan.

The Wolverines were able to dispatch OU in Ann Arbor 17-10 on Sept. 12.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google