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Hurricane Florence was upgraded to a Category 4 storm late Monday morning on Sept. 10. The storm has already caused one football game to move around its schedule, with Coastal Carolina moving a Saturday kickoff against Campbell to Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. ET.
Coastal Carolina moved its home game against Campbell from Sat. To Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET and is relocating the game to Campbell’s stadium. Changes were made to allow the game to be played before likely path of Hurricane Florence arrives.
— Kevin McGuire (@KevinOnCFB) September 10, 2018
UPDATE (Sept. 11, 12:20 p.m.): North Carolina State has also made the decision to cancel their game against West Virginia for the weekend.
“NC State will not play its scheduled football game with West Virginia University this weekend due to the increasing likelihood of severe and unsafe conditions associated with Hurricane Florence,” the university stated.
“Emergency management resources are expected to be fully utilized and needed throughout the region, and today’s decision will help give ample time to deploy those resources across the state.”
UPDATE (Sept. 11, 12:30 p.m.): In addition, the North Carolina Tar Heels canceled their game against No. 18 UCF, with ticket refunds immediately available.
All tickets for the game that were purchased through Carolina Athletics will be automatically refunded.
Ticketholders do not need to contact @UNCTix or @TheRamsClub for a refund.
— Carolina Football (@TarHeelFootball) September 11, 2018
UPDATE (Sept. 11, 2:20 p.m.): Tennessee State has been added to the list of college football programs to cancel their game. The Tigers were set to take on Hampton this weekend in Virginia, but have canceled the game due to the hurricane.
“We are very disappointed, but you can’t control Mother Nature,” said TSU athletics director Teresa Phillips, via The Tennessean.
UPDATE (Sept. 11, 4:14 p.m.): Saturday’s scheduled game between the Ohio Bobcats and Virginia Cavaliers at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia has been moved to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, according to Brett McMurphy of Stadium.
Saturday’s Ohio at Virginia game has been moved to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) September 11, 2018
UPDATE (Sept. 12, 12:00 p.m.): Old Dominion vs. Charlotte, which was originally scheduled for Saturday night, has been moved to Thursday night. Old Dominion issued a statement on their decision.
“On behalf of our Old Dominion football program, I want to thank Mike Hill and the Charlotte administration for keeping the safety of our student athletes and fans paramount while working with the league and other officials to ensure this conference match up could be maintained despite challenging and changing inclement weather predictions,” said Dr. Camden Wood Selig, ODU’s athletic director.
“The flexibility exhibited by both head coaches was also critical throughout this process. Coach Lambert and Wilder are to be commended for their receptivity to a variety of scheduling options over the past 36 to 48 hours.”
UPDATE (Sept. 12, 1:45 p.m.): A Saturday clash between Southern Miss and Appalachian State has been canceled, according to Brett McMurphy of Stadium.
Saturday’s Southern Miss at Appalachian State has been cancelled
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) September 12, 2018
UPDATE: (Sept. 12, 4:20 p.m.): The latest game to be added to the list of scheduled college football games this weekend is the South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Marshall Thundering Herd, according to ESPN’s Paul Finebaum. South Carolina and Marshall were originally set for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPNU this Saturday.
UPDATE: (Sept. 13, 9:27 a.m.): The University of Georgia has decided to move its game against MTSU on Saturday to 12:00 p.m. ET due to Hurricane Florence, according to WSB-TV Channel 2 Action News.
Full List of Cancellations & Delays
- Coastal Carolina vs. Campbell — DELAYED
- North Carolina State vs. West Virginia
- North Carolina vs. UCF
- Tennessee State vs. Hampton
- Virginia vs. Ohio — RELOCATED
- Old Dominion vs. Charlotte — MOVED TO THURSDAY
- Georgia vs. MTSU — KICKOFF MOVED TO 12:00 p.m. ET
Original story can be seen below.
Programs like the University of North Carolina and University of Central Florida are among those who have stated they are monitoring the storm while currently being undecided on whether kickoff times will be impacted.
The Knights and Tar Heels are currently scheduled to play this weekend in Chapel Hill.
“University of North Carolina Department of Athletics staff will be closely monitoring developments with Hurricane Florence and will make decisions about the Sept. 15 home football game against UCF and other athletic events based on consultation with the appropriate state, local and campus authorities,” the statement read, via the Orlando Sentinel.
“Decisions will be based on the safety of the teams, officials, fans and others traveling to attend the game. “A series of meetings and conference calls are scheduled for Monday and each subsequent day leading up to the storm to discuss plans to deal with the storm and its effects.”
The announcement comes following a mandatory evacuation from North Carolina’s Hatteras Island as they urge residents to take precautions and brace for the “life-threatening” storm.
“We here in North Carolina are bracing for a hard hit,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said, via USA TODAY. “We are taking Hurricane Florence seriously. Everyone in Dare County is encouraged to evacuate as soon as possible regardless of the established time frames.”
UNC and No. 18 UCF are scheduled for a noon ET kickoff on Saturday, Sept. 15. If Hurricane Florence continues to strengthen, we could see even more kickoffs and Week 3 games impacted. After all, safety is first.
