Oklahoma AD rips SEC after Ole Miss game moved to Sunday under threat of forfeit

Oklahoma's home game against Ole Miss will be played on a Sunday. The Sooners' athletic director objected strongly, but the league overruled him. The SEC moved the game from 4:15 p.m. ET Saturday to 1 p.m. ET Sunday after an FAA ground stop kept the Rebels from leaving Oxford on Friday night. According to the conference, Ole Miss cannot travel until Saturday afternoon. Yahoo Sports reported the new time, which puts the game in the middle of the NFL's Sunday afternoon schedule.

Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny responded right away with a long statement. He said commissioner Greg Sankey made the call over the school's objection and later told Oklahoma that refusing to play at the assigned time would mean a forfeit. Denny also took aim at Ole Miss for failing to get out of town, saying the Rebels were stuck "unlike every other team traveling for competition tomorrow," as Yahoo Sports quoted him. He said Sooners fans who had planned travel and lodging around a Saturday kickoff were hurt most, and he called the decision unfair to the athletes, the school and the fan base. ESPN and 247Sports also reported the move and the forfeit warning.

Denny said Oklahoma will play because it has no other option. He added that the school would release game-day logistics and fan appreciation measures on Saturday. Oklahoma ticket holders should expect more details before kickoff.

What it means for Sunday

The stakes are lopsided. Ole Miss is 6-3 and still has a College Football Playoff case to make. Oklahoma is 5-4, and Yahoo Sports describes the Sooners as all but out of the playoff race. The Rebels will also have a shorter turnaround than planned, arriving in Norman a day late after a 42-7 home loss to Georgia, their most lopsided result of the season. They are 1-2 in true road games, with a win at Vanderbilt and losses at Florida and Texas.

Oklahoma comes in on better form. Last week the Sooners won 23-7 at Florida, which had beaten Ole Miss 52-28 in Gainesville. They also beat Texas 27-24, a team that won 34-27 against the Rebels. Oklahoma has alternated wins and losses all season and is 3-2 at home, where it lost to Kentucky and South Carolina. Ole Miss has the more productive offense, scoring 45 or more three times. Oklahoma has reached 30 points only once, in its 51-0 opener against UTEP.

The board has the home team favored. On Novig, one of nine venues listed, Oklahoma is -130 on the moneyline and Ole Miss is +127. Novig has the Sooners favored by 2.5 at -106 and the Rebels at +104 with the points. The spread runs from 2 to 3 points across the venues. The best Ole Miss number is +3 at -115 on Pinnacle, and BetRivers has Oklahoma at -2 for -114. Novig's total is 49.5, while BetRivers lists the over at 48.5. Sportsbook hold on the spread ranges from 3.5% to 7.0%, so the venues are far apart on price for a game that was already a close call before the schedule change.