College Sports
The FAA halted all outgoing flights nationwide Friday evening, but the Eagles were already in the air when that decision was made.
BC Football arrived on time to its matchup against Notre Dame amid travel issues plaguing multiple college football teams Friday. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images)
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) put an immediate halt to outgoing flights nationwide on Friday evening due to unforeseen circumstances.
That widespread travel issue has a major impact on college football teams across the country traveling by air in advance of their matchups on Saturday. Some of the nation’s biggest programs are experiencing these issues, and it’s unclear if any of Saturday’s games will be delayed as a result.
As for the Boston College football team, their matchup against Notre Dame appears to be unaffected.
That’s because the Eagles apparently took off just in time to avoid the FAA’s nationwide pause on flights. BC Football posted on social media, “Wheels up to South Bend” at 1:45 p.m. Eastern Time Friday. The travel pause took effect at approximately 3:54 p.m.
Despite some pretty sizable delays, ESPN College Football insider Pete Thamel reported that the entire ACC was able to make their travel arrangements. They could very well be the only power conference without a single delay Saturday if the current travel issues persist.
Here are some key matchups impacted, per Thamel:
- No. 2 Utah at Arizona
- Baylor at No. 10 BYU
- No. 8 Tennessee at Texas A&M
- No. 19 Ole Miss at Oklahoma
- No. 6 Texas at No. 21 LSU
One of the most pressing issues of the bunch is the Baylor-BYU game, since BYU is unable to push the game to Sunday due to religious reasons. Other teams, like Purdue, have elected to take buses to their destinations, though that’s more possible for some matchups than others.
BC is set to face off against the Fighting Irish at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time Saturday.
Colin McCarthy
Colin McCarthy is a sports producer who covers Boston’s professional teams and national sports news.
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