When word got out Friday morning that the official Washington State flag, known affectionately as Ol' Crimson, was stuck in Mississippi and unlikely to make it to Arizona for Saturday's edition of ESPN's College GameDay, it had Cougars fans more than a little worried.

It appeared that after 166 consecutive shows, beginning in 2003, Ol' Crimson's streak on GameDay might come to an end.

Not so fast, my friends.

A flag that had been retired in honor of Randall Johnson, who designed the Cougar head logo, and was on display in ESPN's cafeteria in Bristol, Conn., was taken off the wall and shipped via UPS. It is expected to arrive Friday at 11:30 p.m., local time.

"I will not sleep until I have it in my possession," College GameDay producer Lee Fitting said.

Fitting, who was on site in Tucson in advance of Saturday's game between No. 9 UCLA and No. 16 Arizona, was informed of the shipping problems in an email Friday morning. With GameDay having a 6 a.m. start, local time, this year's version of Ol' Crimson -- which was dedicated to beloved former WSU president Elson Floyd, who died of complications from colon cancer in June -- was highly unlikely to make it in time.

Immediately, the GameDay crew and the Ol' Crimson Booster Club, led by coordinator C.J. McCoy, sought a solution.

"The question was how to get a flag here in time," Fitting said. "So we took the one from ESPN and put it on a bird."

Fitting said Ol' Crimson has become an important part of the show and one that makes GameDay what it is.

"Fans expect to see it out there every week," he said. "It's an important tradition and part of what makes college football great."

McCoy said the details for the original shipping problems are a bit hazy -- he said inclement weather in the South was partially to blame -- and did not fault the booster club's shipping partner, which he said was helpful throughout the process.

It was important for the Ol' Crimson Booster Club for an official, handmade flag to be flown during the show. McCoy expects other WSU flags to fly, but for the people who have helped execute the tradition for over a decade, it wouldn't have been the same.

Before the crisis was averted, there were some fun tweets about the situation:

BREAKING: The Washington State flag is lost in transit. 166-consecutive College GameDay streak is in jeopardy. pic.twitter.com/abFOrF1ke6 — College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 25, 2015