I've got a Problem

Don't know why this is happening. My past two opponents (and only two) have had their "ready to advance" boxes checked when they've gone to play the game against me. This prevents them from being able to play me since that box cannot be deselected. The first guy assumed he had done it on his own by accident, while the second guy said he hadn't touched anything. How the fuck do I play someone? Can I cause an error on my end by going to the team selection screen with out them and the backing out when they aren't there? How the fuck does this work, I'm a super crabby person in the mornings and I want to play some fucking madden.