College, pro teams move, reschedule, postpone games because of Hurricane Ian

Before it even approached the United States, Hurricane Ian had already impacted college and professional sports, with several teams altering plans for games this week — and not just in the state of Florida.

The latest forecasts for Hurricane Ian suggest the massive, powerful storm will make landfall in Florida's Sarasota County, and high winds and storm surge are still expected farther north into the Tampa Bay region — where NFL, NHL and MLB teams reside and a major university is located.

But even schools not in the immediate vicinity of Tampa Bay have already taken proactive steps by rescheduling games. How Hurricane Ian is affecting the sports landscape this week:

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How Hurricane Ian is affecting college football

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA

South Florida's football game with East Carolina has relocated to Boca Raton as Hurricane Ian bears down on Florida's west coast. The South Florida Bulls (1-3) and East Carolina Pirates (2-2) will play at Florida Atlantic University's Howard Schnellenberger Field on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

South Florida, which relocated to Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday afternoon following an on-campus practice, and East Carolina were originally tabbed for a 7 p.m. start on Saturday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. — Emilee Smarr, Palm Beach Post

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

The Florida-Eastern Washington football game, originally scheduled for Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, has been moved to Sunday at noon ET. The game Sunday will still be on SEC Network Plus and available on ESPN+.

The University Athletic Association said it will work with UF, local and state officials to monitor Hurricane Ian and any potential impacts on the newly-scheduled date. — Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA

UCF's game against Southern Methodist has been rescheduled again due to Hurricane Ian, this time shifting from Sunday to Wednesday. Gametime is 7 p.m. EDT.

The American Athletic Conference made the announcement Friday. The game at UCF’s on-campus stadium initially was scheduled to be played Saturday before it was intially moved to Sunday earlier in the week.

Ian made landfall on Florida’s west coast before moving across the state, impacting Orlando and other communities in the storm’s path. — The Associated Press

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA

The South Carolina State at South Carolina football game, originally scheduled for noon Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, was moved to Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. South Carolina beat South Carolina State 50-10.

“Due to the potential impact of the hurricane on Columbia and the surrounding area, it is in the best interest of safety to play the game on Thursday rather than Saturday afternoon,” South Carolina Athletics Director Ray Tanner said on Tuesday.

FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY 

Florida State remains optimistic that it will be able to safely host Saturday's football game against Wake Forest, which is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET at Doak Campbell Stadium (ABC).

Demon Deacon head coach Dave Clawson is not exactly echoing that sentiment as Hurricane Ian approaches.

“You certainly hope the ACC office makes the right decision,” Clawson said in his press conference Tuesday afternoon. “And if they don’t, we will. We are not going to travel down there and put anybody at risk. We are monitoring the weather.

“Obviously this is in the league’s hands, in Florida State’s hands. We would hope that they would make the right decision. But if we feel that there is any danger to our players going down there, we are not going to go.”

What Clawson precisely meant by the ACC making the “right decision” remains unclear. He declined to elaborate about that remark. — Carter Karels, Tallahassee Democrat

OTHER TEAMS

Stetson, which is located in Deland, Florida, canceled its game at San Diego that was scheduled for Saturday afternoon because of travel difficulties due to Hurricane Ian.

• Video: Breaking down the latest USA TODAY/AFCA Coaches Poll

How Hurricane Ian is affecting NFL

After the NFL considered an alternate location for the Super Bowl 55 rematch pitting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Buccaneers said Thursday that the game would be held in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium.

The game is scheduled for Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC).

A contingency plan was in place to have the game played at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis if storm damage were too severe to conduct the game safely. The Bucs announced Monday that they were temporarily relocating to the Miami Dolphins' Baptist Health Training Complex in Miami Gardens as the hurricane approached. - Tyler Dragon

• Video: Breaking down the NFL power rankings after Week 3 games

How Hurricane Ian is affecting NHL preseason

On Monday, the Tampa Bay Lightning postponed two preseason games scheduled at Amalie Arena in Tampa  — Wednesday vs. the Carolina Hurricanes and Thursday vs. the Nashville Predators — as Hurricane Ian approaches. The 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup champions and 2022 runner-up have temporarily relocated Lightning training camp to Nashville and will face the Predators in their arena on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET and Friday at 6 p.m. ET. The Lightning said Friday that the postponed games wouldn't be rescheduled and that games Oct. 6 at Florida and Oct. 8 vs. Florida would be held as scheduled.

How Hurricane Ian is affecting MLB

The Tampa Bay Rays will be on the road the rest of the week as they battle for an American League playoff spot during the MLB season's home stretch. The Rays play the Guardians in Cleveland, Tuesday through Thursday, before a three-game set against the Astros in Houston, beginning Friday.

Contributing: John Bacon and Mike Brehm

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricane Ian: College football, other sports move, reschedule games