The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll, typically released on Sunday afternoons, has been postponed by one day.
The delay follows a nationwide FAA ground stop on Friday night that disrupted travel and forced several games to move to new kickoff times, according to Yahoo Sports reporting.
The most significant impact involved the matchup between Ole Miss and Oklahoma, which was rescheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET after the Rebels were unable to secure a flight, per The Big Lead.
Because Ole Miss is a ranked team, the publication of the weekly rankings was pushed to Monday at 2 p.m. ET to ensure the poll reflects the full weekend of play.
AP global sports editor Josh Hoffner explained the decision to wait for the conclusion of the altered schedule.
“The change will allow our voters to take into account the full slate of games before making their decisions, especially with Ole Miss being a ranked team now playing a Sunday game in Oklahoma,” stated the Associated Press.
While the Oklahoma-Ole Miss game was the only contest moved to a different day, the FAA grounding affected the start times of numerous other Division I matchups.
Adjustments included games such as Mississippi State versus Auburn, UCF versus Arizona State, and Baylor versus BYU, as noted by The Big Lead.
Other affected games included Rice against Tulane and Washington versus Michigan State.
The logistics of the weekend were further complicated by the flight restrictions, which necessitated a ripple effect across the college football schedule.
Voters now have additional time to evaluate the results of these games before finalizing their ballots for the upcoming week.
The adjusted release schedule ensures that the rankings remain accurate despite the unusual circumstances surrounding the weekend disruptions.
The college football community is now waiting for the official Monday afternoon release to see how the latest results shift the national landscape.