Hurricane Isaias could make landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast this weekend, hours before No. 2 Georgia plays at No. 6 Alabama in a major college football game on Saturday night that President Donald Trump is planning to attend.
Isaias strengthened into a hurricane late Wednesday, and forecasters say it could make landfall late Friday or early Saturday somewhere along the Alabama-Mississippi-Florida coastlines before moving north. The storm could prompt schools to cancel games, change kickoff times or even move games to other locations. The Southwestern Athletic Conference moved Florida A&M’s game at Alabama State from Saturday to Friday morning.
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Trump, who attended Texas' win over Tennessee in another Southeastern Conference game on Sept. 26, was asked Wednesday about the storm.
“I love Alabama. I’ve got to go to the game,” Trump responded.
Trump said he didn’t want to do “anything to take the focus” away from “all of the great people that work on those things,” including first responders and police, adding “We’ll have to see” about his travel plans.
Georgia and Alabama have not disclosed backup plans for the game scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. EDT in Tuscaloosa, 200 miles inland from the coast. Alabama issued a statement saying “at this time there are no plans to alter the contest” but officials at the school and the SEC will continue to monitor conditions. The SEC ultimately makes the decision.
“It’s uncertainty beyond my control,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “I’m focused on trying to prepare our team and game plan and scheme.”
Smart said Georgia went through similar preparations last week with the threat of severe weather surrounding its game against Vanderbilt. The weather turned into a non-event in the Bulldogs’ 38-14 win.
“We had that same prep last week with the threat of those things,” he said. “You can’t really practice conditions. You can’t simulate them, so you’re much better off to educate, learn from the past of other people that have played in them, and prepare your team to play and not make it about that.”
The storm could trigger flash floods with dangerous winds, heavy rain and tornadoes. Events in Alabama have already been canceled. Alabama meteorologist James Spann told AL.com that moving the game to Sunday night would be the best choice.
Smart and Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said they were being updated but didn't outline contingency plans.
“I’m not really involved in too much, just updated on kind of where things stand,” DeBoer said. “If there’s anything that would need to be adjusted, but you know, I haven’t heard anything recently.”
In 1988, Alabama postponed a Sept. 17 game at Texas A&M to December because of Hurricane Gilbert. Georgia's 2016 game at South Carolina was pushed to Sunday due to Hurricane Matthew while the LSU-Florida game that same Saturday was postponed to November.
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