Status of Oklahoma, Tulane game is now uncertain

It was originally reported on Monday morning that Oklahoma and Tulane would be moving their week one matchup from New Orleans to Norman due to the impact of Hurricane Ida. Now, Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger has reported that the status of the game is currently uncertain.

“Confirming this: Tulane officials told SI Now earlier today that there was no chance of hosting the game in New Orleans given the Hurricane damage,” Dellenger tweeted.

Dellenger went on to say that a final decision on the status of the game should come soon.

“Tulane AD Troy Dannen tells SI Now that contingencies are being made for the Green Wave to play in Norman,” Dellenger tweeted. “But there is uncertainty that TU plays the game, he says. A final decision should be made by the end of today.”

Tulane and Oklahoma originally planned on playing in New Orleans as scheduled

Originally, Tulane was holding out hope that they would be able to host Oklahoma in week one in New Orleans. Tulane decided to relocate to Birmingham, Alabama for the week. If the game is played, it will be at the home of No. 2 Oklahoma instead of Tulane as originally scheduled.

Over the weekend, Sooners’ athletic director Joe Castiglione released a statement on the status of the game between Oklahoma and Tulane.

“As the National Weather Service tracks tropical storm and hurricane activity in the Atlantic and Gulf regions, and as predictive models are updated, we have received many inquiries from fans planning to follow the Sooners to New Orleans next week when we open the 2021 football season at Tulane University,” Castiglione said. “In the spirit of proactive planning and communication, I have been in regular contact with Tulane Athletics Director Troy Dannen for the past month. In the past few days, we have stayed in even closer contact.”

New Orleans Saints, LSU have also been impacted by Hurricane Ida

Hurricane Ida made landfall on Sunday, exactly 16 years following Hurricane Katrina’s arrival in 2005. The storm has wreaked havoc on football already.

The New Orleans Saints’ preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals was originally moved up to Saturday. It was ultimately canceled with Ida approaching. The LSU Tigers are set to travel to Los Angeles to face off UCLA on Saturday. Due to the Tigers being forced to evacuate Baton Rouge, they’ll spend the week in Houston. The team will fly out on Thursday.

Tulane and Oklahoma are the latest teams to be impacted by Hurricane Ida. If they are able to take the field on Saturday, it will now be in Norman.