A nationwide Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground stop on Friday, November 13, disrupted travel plans for professional and college sports teams across the United States, leaving multiple organizations stranded at airports and raising concerns about potential scheduling changes for this weekend's games.

The FAA issued a nationwide notice suspending departing flights, citing "extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy later confirmed that a communications failure was affecting all 22 regional Air Route Traffic Control Centers, which direct aircraft traveling between airports across the country. FAA technicians were investigating the disruption.

"There’s no reason to be concerned about your loved ones if they’re flying," Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said as officials worked to address the situation.

College football programs preparing for Saturday's games were among those immediately affected. Most teams scheduled for road games travel the day before kickoff, leaving several prominent programs unable to depart as planned.

The affected teams included No. 2 Utah, No. 8 Texas, and No. 9 Tennessee. Utah was scheduled to face No. 22 Arizona, Texas was traveling to Baton Rouge to take on No. 24 LSU, and Tennessee was headed to Texas A&M for one of the weekend's major matchups.

Texas shared a video on social media showing players boarding their aircraft before the ground stop took effect. However, the team remained unable to depart.

"We are grounded and waiting to see when we can leave," a team spokesman said.

If forced to travel by bus, the Longhorns would face an approximately seven-hour drive to Baton Rouge ahead of their scheduled 6:30 p.m. CT kickoff Saturday.

Other college programs affected included No. 19 Ole Miss, Baylor, Kansas State, Washington and Minnesota. The disruption also raised questions about whether referees and other game officials, who typically fly to their assignments the day before games, would arrive in time.

Several programs managed to depart before the ground stop began. Missouri was already traveling to face No. 1 Georgia, Duke was headed to No. 5 Miami, and No. 10 Texas Tech was on its way to Oklahoma State.

Professional basketball teams also encountered travel problems. The Brooklyn Nets were among five NBA teams scheduled to fly Friday ahead of Saturday's games. The team had already boarded its aircraft in New Orleans following its recent matchup against the Pelicans when its scheduled flight to Memphis was halted.

The Detroit Pistons had managed to fly to Miami earlier in the day, while the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls and Memphis Grizzlies were scheduled to travel following their Friday night games.

The NHL also faced potential scheduling complications, with 14 games scheduled for Saturday. The Florida Panthers had already arrived in St. Louis before the ground stop began, but the San Jose Sharks were among the teams left waiting to depart for their matchup in Utah.

The disruption also created uncertainty for NFL organizations preparing for Sunday's games. With much of the league's Week 10 schedule still ahead, teams faced questions about whether flights would resume in time to maintain their travel schedules.

The FAA had not provided a definitive timeline for restoring normal flight operations, leaving professional and college sports organizations scrambling to evaluate alternative travel arrangements and prepare for potential disruptions to this weekend's sporting events.