An extremely rare nationwide ground stop was issued by the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday afternoon, affecting travelers across the country and having reverberating impacts for college athletics events throughout the weekend.

No. 3 Alabama football is playing at Vanderbilt this weekend. The team would normally fly to Nashville, but with construction going on at the Tuscaloosa airport and the bus ride being less than four hours, the program had fortunately already opted to drive to Vanderbilt on Friday for Saturday's 11:45 a.m. kickoff.

Because of the Friday travel by the Crimson Tide and officiating crew, there should not be any issues or delays for the Crimson Tide and Commodores on Saturday. Alabama will have a police escort back to Tuscaloosa after the game, so it will not have to deal with regular traffic.

Officials for the Vanderbilt-Alabama game are in town already and there are no issues regarding tomorrow’s kickoff, I’m told.

— Graham Baakko (@GrahamBaakko) November 13, 2026

Several SEC teams with longer distances to travel, like Ole Miss to Oklahoma, are facing bigger logistical issues. The Southeastern Conference released a statement Friday evening.

"The Southeastern Conference is aware of the FAA's nationwide ground stop and the potential impact on team travel for this weekend's competitors," the statement said. "We are in close communication with our member institutions to assess potential disruptions and coordinate approriate responses. The safety and well-being of student-athletes, coaches, and team personnel remain our highest priority.

"We will continue to monitor developments and work with our institutions to determine whether any adjustments to scheduled competitions become necessary."

Statement from the Southeastern Conference on FAA nationwide ground stop: pic.twitter.com/IIU4TnwMVJ

— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) November 13, 2026

The football team is the only Alabama athletics team scheduled to play on Saturday.

Men's basketball is at home against Seton Hall on Friday at 8 p.m. The Pirates were already in town prior to the ground stop but may have some travel issues getting back to New Jersey after the game.

Alabama's cross country teams swept both sides of the NCAA South Regional Championships at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida on Friday morning to advance to the 2026 NCAA Cross Country Championships.

Volleyball and women's basketball are both scheduled for home matchups on Sunday. Volleyball hosts Florida, and women's basketball is hosting Mercer. The women's basketball game should not be affected at all, and Florida should have enough time to re-arrange any travel plans prior to Sunday's volleyball match.

Alabama Athletics Weekend Schedule

Friday, Nov. 13

• Men's and women's cross country at NCAA Regionals in Tallahassee, Florida- 7:30 a.m. (First-place finish for both teams)

• Softball vs. Auburn at 5 p.m. (Fall ball scrimmage)

• Men's basketball vs. Seton Hall at 8 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 14

• Football at Vanderbilt, 11:45 a.m.

Sunday, Nov. 15

• Volleyball vs. Florida, 2 p.m.

• Women's basketball vs. Mercer, 2 p.m.