The University of Washington Huskies touched down in Lansing, Michigan, at 2 a.m. ET, after their flight was delayed more than six hours for their 1,800-mile journey. This wasn’t some late-night joyride, folks. This was just one example of the chaos that ripped through college football’s Week 11 thanks to an extraordinary FAA national groundstop on Friday.
Huskies Overcome Travel Nightmare, Others Scramble
Our very own Huskies faced a brutal test even before kickoff. That massive flight delay meant a 2 a.m. ET arrival in Lansing. Thankfully, the kickoff against Michigan State got pushed back a bit, from 4:15 p.m. ET to 5:30 p.m. ET, giving the squad a few more hours. Despite the ridiculous travel logistics, the Huskies pulled off a 21-14 victory over Michigan State. Talk about grit, right?
But Washington wasn’t alone in battling the skies, or the roads. Purdue, for example, waited 75 minutes on the tarmac before deciding to scrap their flight entirely and bus to Iowa City instead. That was a roughly five-hour bus ride, getting them to Iowa around 11 p.m. ET. They didn’t get a game adjustment either, and ultimately fell 28-7 to No. 15 Iowa. Over in Happy Valley, Minnesota couldn’t even leave Friday. They ended up taking a nearly two-hour flight Saturday morning, departing at 10:10 a.m. ET for an evening game against Penn State, which they lost 42-14. It just shows how much this groundstop messed with the entire Big Ten schedule.
Big 12 Teams Faced Major Shifts, Too
The East Coast wasn’t the only place feeling the squeeze. Out west, Arizona State faced perhaps the biggest hit, unable to fly out Friday for their nearly 2,000-mile trip to Orlando. They took off Saturday morning around 9:30 a.m. ET, landing in Florida at 12:47 p.m. ET for a Saturday afternoon game. The Big 12 had to adjust, moving their kickoff back two hours, from 3:30 p.m. ET to 5:30 p.m. ET. Arizona State still managed to snag a 26-13 win over UCF. Baylor was another team forced into a Saturday morning travel schedule, leaving a little after 10 a.m. ET for Provo. Their kickoff against BYU also shifted, from 3:30 p.m. ET to 7 p.m. ET, but they lost 28-7.
Then there was No. 2 Utah and No. 23 Arizona, squaring off in what was billed as one of the most important games of Week 11. Utah got stuck Friday night, couldn’t find another flight, and actually sent its players home. They had breakfast Saturday morning, then left Salt Lake City around 12:45 p.m. ET, landing in Arizona nearly two hours later. The Big 12 made a massive adjustment, pushing their 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff all the way back to 10:30 p.m. ET. Imagine that, playing a huge game starting at basically midnight! Utah battled through for a 40-39 victory.
This Week 11 chaos showed just how much travel can throw off a team’s rhythm, even for the most prepared programs. For our Huskies, coming away with a win after landing at 2 a.m. ET is a serious statement. You gotta wonder how many more of these crazy travel stories we’ll see this season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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