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College football programs monitoring severe weather yet again (Update)

sam cooper
College football writer
MIAMI GARDENS, FL – OCTOBER 08: Jamal Carter Sr. #6 of the Miami Hurricanes hits Kermit Whitfield #8 of the Florida State Seminoles for a personal foul during a game at Hard Rock Stadium on October 8, 2016 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FL – OCTOBER 08: Jamal Carter Sr. #6 of the Miami Hurricanes hits Kermit Whitfield #8 of the Florida State Seminoles for a personal foul during a game at Hard Rock Stadium on October 8, 2016 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Update: Oct. 5 – 2:55 p.m.

With Tropical Storm Nate approaching, the Florida vs. Miami game will remain at 3:30 p.m. in Tallahassee.

However, Tulane opted to move its game against Tulsa up from 4 p.m. ET to noon, among several other changes for Tulane athletics.

“Given the current track of Tropical Storm Nate, we have made several changes to our weekend schedule of athletics events,” said Troy Dannen, Ben Weiner Director of Athletics Chair at Tulane. “These changes have been made to help ensure the safety of our student-athletes, fans, staff and opposing schools scheduled to travel to and from New Orleans. Additionally, we want to ensure all first responders are available if needed elsewhere and not otherwise committed to our athletics events.”

Here is the current track of the storm:

From the National Hurricane Center:

“Nate is forecast to reach the northern Gulf Coast this weekend as a hurricane, and the threat of direct impacts from wind, storm surge, and heavy rainfall is increasing. However, it is too early to specify the exact timing, location or magnitude of these impacts. Residents along the Gulf Coast from Louisiana through the Florida Panhandle should monitor the progress of Nate and heed any advice given by local officials.”

Original story: Oct. 4 – 5:15 p.m.

The Florida State vs. Miami game could be impacted by severe weather yet again.

The game, originally scheduled for Sept. 16 in Tallahassee, was moved to Saturday, Oct. 7 because of Hurricane Irma. Now Tropical Storm Nate could potentially hit Tallahassee on Saturday or Sunday. Florida State, which hosts the Hurricanes at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday, is monitoring the situation closely with help from the National Weather Service.

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Invest 90L, which developed into Tropical Depression 16 by 11 a.m. Wednesday, is brewing off the coast of Nicaragua and expected to head into the Gulf of Mexico, where it could become a tropical storm as early as Thursday.

The current system has winds up to 30 mph, but will become Tropical Storm Nate when winds exceed 39 miles per hour. It could possibly make landfall in Tallahassee late Saturday or early Sunday.

“We are monitoring the tropical storm and will continue to do so throughout the week,” an FSU official said in a statement Wednesday.

It’s only Wednesday, so the path of the storm could certainly shift, which, in turn, could affect other college football games. Florida hosts LSU in Gainesville on Saturday — also at 3:30 ET — in a rivalry that knows all about Hurricane drama. Last season, Hurricane Matthew forced the game to be moved to LSU, moving this year’s matchup to Gainesville. Games in Louisiana, Georgia and elsewhere in the southeast could also see the effects of Nate before its expected landfall on Sunday.

From CNN:

Though it looks like a landfalling storm is likely along the Gulf Coast this weekend, the exact location is still yet to be determined. There is considerable spread in the forecast models, with potential landfalls from central Louisiana to Florida’s Big Bend region.

The official forecast for Nate has landfall near Panama City, Florida, on Sunday with winds of 80 mph, which would make Nate a Category 1 hurricane.

The prospects of another hurricane landfall are troubling, coming so quickly after back-to-back-to-back disasters in Harvey, Irma, and Maria. In fact, September 2017 was deemed the “most active month on record” for tropical systems in the Atlantic basin by the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricanes Harvey and Irma caused postponements and cancellations across college football in September and caused damage to many campuses. As a result, the SEC announced Wednesday it would donate $100,000 to both Texas A&M and the University of Florida to “support the needs of campus community members impacted by the damage caused by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.”

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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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