FAA nationwide ground stop impacts local college football teams and matchups

SALT LAKE CITY — Friday’s sudden ground stop for departing flights out of U.S. airports issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has impacted travelers around the country.

The @FAAnews issued a nationwide ground stop for all U.S. airports following a communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers. FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them.

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) November 13, 2026

“There has been a temporary telecommunications outage – out of an abundance of caution, all flights have been halted. Every flight has been accounted for, and international flights will be handled on a case-by-case basis,” wrote the FAA on X.

There has been a temporary telecommunications outage – out of an abundance of caution all flights have been halted. Every flight has been accounted for and international flights will be handled on a case by case basis.

— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) November 13, 2026

Because it happened on a Friday, it has also significantly affected college football teams, including here in the state of Utah.

Here’s the latest.

Utah Utes

Utah, who is now No. 2 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, takes on the Arizona Wildcats Saturday night at 5:30 p.m. (MST) in Tucson. Shortly after the FAA ground stop was announced, KSL’s Josh Furlong reported that the Utes had not left Salt Lake yet.

OK it’s confirmed Utah hasn’t left, according to a source https://t.co/4W5RDgyNXz

— Josh Furlong (@Josh_Furlong) November 13, 2026

As of now, it’s sounding like Utah isn’t entertaining a bus ride to Tucson. Things can obviously change, but a 12.5-hour drive presents a major challenge.

— Josh Furlong (@Josh_Furlong) November 13, 2026

BYU hosting the Baylor Bears

After suffering a loss to rival Utah last week, No. 10 BYU returns home to host the Baylor Bears at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The Bears had an afternoon United flight from Waco, Texas, to Salt Lake City, but they couldn’t leave Waco before the nationwide ground stop was issued.

The Baylor team has not taken off as part of the nationwide grounding.

I will update when I know more but for now it looks like we will be heading back to the facility till this is over.

— Grayson Grundhoefer (@GrayGrundhoefer) November 13, 2026

Utah State Aggies

Utah State is taking on San Diego State at 7:30 p.m. (MST) in San Diego, California. The Aggies had not left Logan as of the ground stop.

Weber State Wildcats

The Wildcats are scheduled to play the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks in Flagstaff, Arizona, on Saturday at 2 p.m. (MST). According to Weber State Sports Information Director Paul Grua, the Wildcats were impacted by the ground stoppage.

Weber State football is grounded as part of the nationwide ground stoppage. Travel to be determined. pic.twitter.com/ITO73gxbVN

— Paul Grua (@PaulGrua) November 13, 2026

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.

Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.

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