NCAA
What college football games could Hurricane Helene affect?
Sports fans across the country are carefully tracking the path of the storms threatening to impact this weekend’s activity.
College football fans would be wise to have one eye on the weather map as well as the other on their teams’ schedule this weekend, as Hurricane Helene is expected to stir up more than just tailgates. As the epicenter of Week 5 action converges with the potential eye of the storm, several matchups could feel the wrath of Helene, including the much-anticipated Alabama-Georgia showdown.
Helene is currently brewing in the south Caribbean and is projected to intensify as it crosses the Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center warns of the storm potentially making landfall in Florida’s northwest coast by Thursday morning. With wind speeds forecasted to reach 115 miles per hour, this Category 3 hurricane could bring heavy rain, flooding, and power outages throughout the South – a place that just so happens to be the beating heart of college football.
Will Alabama vs Georgia be in the eye of the storm?
While the bulk of Alabama fans are likely more worried about the Georgia defense than the weather, Hurricane Helene could give both teams something else to tackle. The storm is expected to travel along the Alabama-Georgia state line on Thursday, passing through Auburn University as the Tigers prep for their game against Oklahoma. While the worst of the storm should be long gone by kickoff, there’s potential for lingering infrastructure issues.
Thankfully for fans headed to Tuscaloosa, Helene is predicted to spare the west Alabama town from its full force, with only a few inches of rain expected two days before Alabama takes on No. 2 Georgia. But as any seasoned weather watcher knows, storms have a way of changing their minds – and paths – so it’s wise to keep an umbrella (or a small canoe) handy, just in case.
Florida schools escape Hurricane Helene Blitz
A stroke of luck (or excellent scheduling, maybe), should see Florida’s premier football programs dodge Helene altogether. The Florida Gators conveniently have a bye week, meaning their fans can stay dry at home, and hope it’s all passed by the time UCF comes around. Meanwhile, Florida State has packed their bags for Dallas to take on Southern Methodist, steering clear of the storm’s path and, hopefully, adding to the ACC’s win column without weather worries, except on their journey home.
College football Week 5 schedule
Let’s take a look at all the games scheduled for this week so that you can keep a track of how the storm may impact on them.
All times ET:
Thursday, September 26
Army at Temple, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, September 27
Virginia Tech at No. 7 Miami (Fla.), 7:30 p.m.
Washington at Rutgers, 8 p.m.
Saturday, September 28
Kentucky at No. 6 Ole Miss, 12 p.m.
Minnesota at No. 12 Michigan, 12 p.m.
No. 20 Oklahoma State at No. 23 Kansas State, 12 p.m.
No. 22 BYU at Baylor, 12 p.m.
Nebraska at Purdue, 12 p.m.
Northern Illinois at NC State, 12 p.m.
Maryland at Indiana, 12 p.m.
Buffalo at UConn, 12 p.m.
Western Kentucky at Boston College, 12 p.m.
Holy Cross at Syracuse, 12 p.m.
Navy at UAB, 12 p.m.
South Florida at Tulane, 12 p.m.
Dayton at Marist, 12 p.m.
Harvard at Brown, 12 p.m.
Bucknell at Lehigh, 12 p.m.
Columbia at Georgetown, 12:30 p.m.
Houston Christian at Indiana State, 1 p.m.
Valparaiso at Morehead State, 1 p.m.
San Diego at Drake, 1 p.m.
Colgate at Penn, 1 p.m.
Fordham at Monmouth, 1 p.m.
Virginia Lynchburg at Butler, 1 p.m.
Ball State at James Madison, 1:30 p.m.
Mercer at Wofford, 1:30 p.m.
Richmond at Elon, 2 p.m.
Delaware State at Campbell, 2 p.m.
North Alabama at West Georgia, 2 p.m.
Southern Utah at Austin Peay, 2 p.m.
Robert Morris at Eastern Kentucky, 2 p.m.
East Tennessee State at The Citadel, 2 p.m.
Southern Illinois at South Dakota, 2 p.m.
Murray State at North Dakota, 2 p.m.
Samford at Furman, 2 p.m.
Yale at Cornell, 2 p.m.
Texas State at Sam Houston, 3 p.m.
Lindenwood at Eastern Illinois, 3 p.m.
North Carolina Central at Norfolk State, 3 p.m.
North Dakota State at Illinois State, 3 p.m.
Youngstown State at Missouri State, 3 p.m.
Howard at Princeton, 3 p.m.
Cal Poly at Northern Colorado, 3 p.m.
Wisconsin at No. 13 USC, 3:30 p.m.
No. 15 Louisville at No. 16 Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m.
No. 21 Oklahoma at Auburn, 3:30 p.m.
Arkansas at No. 24 Texas A&M, 3:30 p.m.
TCU at Kansas, 3:30 p.m.
Colorado at UCF, 3:30 p.m.
UMass at Miami (OH), 3:30 p.m.
Louisiana at Wake Forest, 3:30 p.m.
Liberty at Appalachian State, 3:30 p.m.
Fresno State at UNLV, 3:30 p.m.
San Diego State at Central Michigan, 3:30 p.m.
Georgia Southern at Georgia State, 3:30 p.m.
Western Michigan at Marshall, 3:30 p.m.
Akron at Ohio, 3:30 p.m.
Eastern Michigan at Kent State, 3:30 p.m.
Maine at UAlbany, 3:30 p.m.
Sacred Heart at Delaware, 3:30 p.m.
Morgan State at Stony Brook, 3:30 p.m.
North Carolina at Duke, 4 p.m.
UTSA at East Carolina, 4 p.m.
Tennessee Tech at Gardner-Webb, 4 p.m.
Sacramento State at Northern Arizona, 4 p.m.
Northwestern State at Southeast Missouri State, 4 p.m.
Mississippi State at No. 1 Texas, 4:15 p.m.
Old Dominion at Bowling Green, 5 p.m.
Louisiana Tech at Florida International, 6 p.m.
UT Martin at Kennesaw State, 6 p.m.
Wagner at Florida Atlantic, 6 p.m.
Hampton at William & Mary, 6 p.m.
North Carolina A&T at South Carolina State, 6 p.m.
LIU at Villanova, 6 p.m.
Portland State at Chattanooga, 6 p.m.
Charleston Southern at Tennessee State, 6 p.m.
Montana State at Idaho State, 6 p.m.
Alabama A&M at Florida A&M, 6 p.m.
No. 3 Ohio State at Michigan State, 7 p.m.
Stanford at No. 17 Clemson, 7 p.m.
No. 18 Iowa State at Houston, 7 p.m.
UL Monroe at Troy, 7 p.m.
Charlotte at Rice, 7 p.m.
Tulsa at North Texas, 7 p.m.
Lamar at Central Arkansas, 7 p.m.
Prairie View A&M at Grambling, 7 p.m.
McKendree at Western Illinois, 7 p.m.
Jackson State at Texas Southern, 7 p.m.
Davidson at Presbyterian, 7 p.m.
Southeastern Louisiana at Tarleton State, 7 p.m.
No. 2 Georgia at No. 4 Alabama, 7:30 p.m.
No. 19 Illinois at No. 9 Penn State, 7:30 p.m.
Middle Tennessee at Memphis, 7:30 p.m.
South Alabama at No. 14 LSU, 7:45 p.m.
Florida State at SMU, 8 p.m.
Cincinnati at Texas Tech, 8 p.m.
New Mexico at New Mexico State, 8 p.m.
Air Force at Wyoming, 8 p.m.
Montana at Eastern Washington, 8 p.m.
McNeese at Weber State, 8 p.m.
Abilene Christian at Utah Tech, 9 p.m.
Washington State at No. 25 Boise State, 10 p.m.
Idaho at UC Davis, 10 p.m.
Arizona at No. 10 Utah, 10:15 p.m.
No. 8 Oregon at UCLA, 11 p.m.
Notre Dame and Louisville at risk
If you’re thinking the Midwest will be safe from all this hurricane hullabaloo, think again. By Saturday, Helene is expected to downgrade to a tropical depression – again, we’ll need to watch its progress – but even at 25 miles per hour, those winds can throw off more than a few perfectly timed field goals. Central Illinois and Indiana are likely to experience disruptive gusts during their weekend games, including Notre Dame’s clash with Louisville in South Bend. Big Ten teams like Indiana and Purdue might also have to adjust their game plans (and perhaps their ponchos).
So, the bottom line is that while Helene looks like it will wreak some sort of havoc on college football’s big Saturday, the forecast is still uncertain with still a few days to monitor its behaviour. But one thing’s for sure: nothing, not even a hurricane, can blow away the excitement of a tantalising Week 5.