LSU football‘s season opener on Saturday, September 2 in Houston against the BYU Cougars looks to be in jeopardy after flooding from Hurricane Harvey.
Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas coast late Friday night. Since then the storm has dissipated somewhat, but the rains have continued to pound the Houston area causing massive flooding. The concern, first and foremost, is to the safety of Houstonians, but school officials from both LSU and BYU are keeping an eye on the situation as well.
The Tigers are no stranger to weather impacting their games. A year ago their game against Florida was cancelled without a rescheduled date announced. The game would later be played, but it did force the SEC to implement new rules that gave the commissioner authority to decide on game dates and schedules. This isn’t a conference game, that changes how the game might be impacted.
The game was scheduled to remain in Houston as of Friday, but that might be changing according to recent reports from SB Nation.
"Officials from both schools will meet with ESPN on Sunday to discuss moving the game away from Houston’s NRG Stadium. Two potential relocation sites are LSU’s Tiger Stadium or New Orleans’ Mercedes-Benz Superdome. A source told SB Nation both schools are committed to playing the game Saturday in a different city."
What’s Plan B?
BYU, per religious beliefs, will not play games on Sunday. That leaves two alternatives, postponement or finding a new place to play. The Cougars began their season with a 20-6 home victory over Portland State. LSU has yet to play a game. Provo, Utah is further from any potential flooding, but both proposed site in Louisiana would be more manageable alternatives for fans that were already making travel plans for the gulf coast.
There isn’t an open makeup date. LSU’s bye week comes on October 28. On that week BYU plays San Jose State. Last year the Tigers cancelled a non-conference game to make way for a game against the Gators. It would come at a price, but perhaps the Cougars might consider doing the same. If BYU wants to make a playoff run as an independent they’ll need a marquee win. That makes playing this game all the more important.
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Moving the game to a new location seems to be the best course of action, but no announcement has been made as of yet. Expect a decision to be made soon. Whatever the outcome, it’s looking like Houston will not be an option. For the safety of the teams and fans a Plan B will have to be put into effect.