As Hurricane Isaias pushes toward the Gulf coast, a handful of college football programs are watching the forecast closely in case the weather forces any late changes.
The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore, one of the most trusted voices on tropical systems, laid out the games he’s keeping an eye on during an appearance Thursday afternoon on The Pat McAfee Show. He did not say any kickoffs were in danger of being moved, but he did point to a few matchups that could feel the storm’s effects.
“OK here’s what I’ve got for you,” Cantore said. “ South Carolina, Gainesville (Fla.)
… 12:45. There could be a shower there.
I’m a little bit more worried about Ole Miss - Vandy in Nashville Saturday because all that’s coming up from Alabama. All that’s coming north.
LSU - Kentucky Saturday night, it’s still coming north.”
The game drawing the most attention from the weather angle is Alabama-Georgia, though Cantore did not mention it in that update. On Thursday afternoon, On3’s Andy Staples reported that the game “ appears on track to kick off as scheduled ” on Saturday night at 7:30 ET.
Current projections have the storm tracking well north of Tuscaloosa before kickoff, which is part of why that matchup looks safe for now. The games Cantore flagged, however, could be more exposed as the system continues moving north.
Ole Miss and Vanderbilt are set for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff in Nashville, while LSU and Kentucky are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. ET in Lexington, Ky.
For now, the expectation is that the college football weekend will only be lightly affected in terms of actual kickoff changes, unless Isaias strengthens unexpectedly.
“The timing on this stuff is bringing it all north toward you,” Cantore told McAfee. “Then on Sunday we still got some rain around Tennessee, Pittsburgh, D.C.
We won’t have showers, thunderstorms, but there could be wind in play. It could be wet.
I’m not worried about severe weather, though, as we get to Sunday. It should be evened out by then.
Saturday’s the big day and you’re right in the meat of it, bro.”
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