Government Shutdown Impacts College Football as SEC Teams Make Announcement

On September 12, they faced off against South Alabama. Auburn Tigers’ official Facebook page proudly posted, “

Today’s pregame flyover was provided by the 300th Airlift Squadron with the Air Force Reserves out of Joint Base Charleston!

. Thank you for your service and welcome to Jordan-Hare!” Now, that the Auburn vs Georgia game will be without the pregame flyover, this is not what the fans expected.

After all, coming to this tradition, the 2025 season has been a special year. It entered its milestone year. WAKA Action 8 got an exclusive look at the training that powers Auburn’s iconic War Eagle Flyover. For 25 years, the eagle has soared above Jordan-Hare Stadium, locking onto its trainer at the 50-yard line while fans erupt with a thunderous “War Eagle, Hey!”—a breathtaking tradition of skill and school spirit.

There goes a lot of effort into this training to make Auburn’s pregame extremely special. “It’s very good for their mental and physical health to fly in the stadium consistently. They train just like our athletes. We are out here flying 5 days a week, flying 3 times a day in order to build up that physical condition and confidence,” said Dr. Robyn Miller, the director of the Auburn University Raptor Center. 

In honor of the 25th year celebration of this pregame tradition, Auburn University started a campaign to honor the War Eagle tradition. But hardly did they expect a government ban to be awaiting them. Unfortunately, they have found their SEC mate to be going through the same thing.

Auburn Tigers and Missouri Tigers underwent the same fate

Even before Auburn witnessed its heartbreak, the Missouri fans were left in a sour mood. On October 9, Mizzou Athletics tweeted the big announcement. “Due to the federal government shutdown, Saturday’s planned military flyover at the @MizzouFootball game has been canceled. Additionally, the ROTC Cannon Crew will not be present,” read part of the tweet. 

The ROTC cannon crew, known for firing the cannon after every Mizzou score, will also not be present. Now, that’s not good news for the Missouri Tigers, whose Saturday game marks the sixth sellout game of the season. Eli Drinkwitz’s boys will face No. 8 Alabama at Memorial Stadium in a game that could deliver a signature win. However, at least, unlike Auburn, Drinkwitz and co. have figured out an alternative to keep the fans’ spirits high. 

After all, it’s indeed a big day for Missouri, which has not beaten Alabama since 1975. The tweet reassured, “We’re proud to share that the Missouri State Highway Patrol will serve as Saturday’s pregame color guard. We appreciate their support and look forward to honoring them at Memorial Stadium.#MIZ

” While Missouri fans will still have something to look forward to, the Auburn fans’ upset meter is hitting the roof. 

Just like Missouri, the last time Auburn defeated Georgia was in 2017. Ever since, the Bulldogs have won the last eight meetings. And what better time for Kirby Smart to serve some more panic for Auburn? “Well, for the most part, we’ve had better players than them, and people always make it about coaching, the location, the plays — you call it. Players play the game, and we have been better than them for most of those years. They’ve been through a couple coaching changes,” the Georgia head coach blurted out some plain facts. Chaos reigns in the Auburn territory. How will the fans handle the heat?