Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Sep 4, 2026; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners athletic director Roger Denny before the game against the UTEP Miners at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
The Oklahoma Sooners will not play the 19th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels in Memorial Stadium on Saturday, and it’s safe to say athletic director Roger Denny is not happy about it.
The SEC announced that the game between the Sooners and Rebels, which was originally scheduled for 3:15 p.m. local time on Saturday, will now be played at noon Central on Sunday after the FAA announced a nationwide ground stop on on Friday evening that affected Ole Miss’s travel.
Oklahoma wanted the Rebels to fly in on Saturday morning and play the game at the regularly scheduled time. But Ole Miss protested that idea, and the SEC allegedly warned Denny that the Sooners would forfeit if they did not agree to postpone the game.
“We were told that Ole Miss explored every avenue to travel to Norman and play on Saturday as planned. But, unlike every other team traveling for competition tomorrow, they were unable to find a solution,” Denny said in a statement. “After multiple conversations with the league office, Commissioner Sankey informed us of his decision to move our game to Sunday, over our strong objection. After continued discussions, he further informed us that our failure to play on Sunday at the directed time would result in a forfeit.”
Oklahoma AD Roger Denny Is Furious With The SEC
Denny then doubled down on his frustration during a video appearance with Sooner Scoop on Saturday afternoon.
Here’s the clip from our friends at @SoonerScoop https://t.co/A6uiqPvKj5
— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) November 14, 2026
“I don’t know. They’ll probably send their carnival barker out there to accuse me of pandering again. And candidly, I don’t care,” Denny said adamantly. “My job, and my duty, is to our players, our university, and our fan base. If they don’t like the way we handle our business, I just don’t much care about that.”
That’s quite the strong statement. But it’s hard to argue with his point of view. Oklahoma now has to make a number of logistical changes to play and staff the game tomorrow. And the Sooners will likely have a much smaller crowd with far less revenue generated.
Ultimately, it is odd that the Rebels were the only team that couldn’t figure things out. And Denny has a right to defend his school.
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