Finebaum Rebukes Oklahoma AD Over Ole Miss Postponement

The SEC rescheduled Oklahoma’s home matchup with Ole Miss, originally set for Saturday afternoon, for Sunday at 1 p.m. after Ole Miss could not travel to Norman in time to play as planned. The team did not leave Oxford until after 4 p.m. Saturday. Oklahoma was the only program whose game was postponed, though other college football teams adjusted kickoff times amid the grounding.

Denny objected to the change, saying the SEC’s decision would disrupt fans’ travel and personal plans. He said conference commissioner Greg Sankey told Oklahoma that failing to play at the directed time on Sunday would mean a forfeit. Denny also said the decision was unfair to the athletes, the university and its supporters.

On SEC Network, commentator Paul Finebaum said Denny was pandering to Oklahoma fans and criticized him for publicly challenging Sankey during a national emergency. Finebaum also pointed to Denny’s decision to extend coach Brent Venables’ contract before the season, when Oklahoma was ranked No. 9. The Sooners entered the rescheduled game with a 5-4 record, unranked and out of playoff contention. Finebaum called Denny’s conduct unbecoming of a college athletics leader.