Hurricane Idalia unlikely to impact UCF vs. Kent State game

As the west coast of Florida prepares for the impact of Hurricane Idalia, officials at UCF are closely monitoring the storm and making any necessary preparations.

But the hurricane doesn’t look like it will impact the team’s season opener against Kent State on Thursday evening.

According to Chris Boyle of the Daytona Beach News-Journal, academic and most campus operations at UCF will be suspended on Wednesday but resume normal operations on Thursday. That would clear the way for the season opener being played.

UCF is in its first year in the Big 12 after moving from the American Athletic Conference.

The season opener will be a chance for UCF to ease into things in the tougher conference, with the Knights a 36.5-point favorite over the Golden Flashes.

As for Hurricane Idalia, it is projected to make landfall in Florida as a major hurricane, with winds around 120 miles per hour at time of landfall. Current tracks for the storm have it making landfall somewhere between Aucilla River and Yankeetown.

“There is the potential for destructive life-threatening winds where the core of Idalia moves onshore in the Big Bend region of Florida, with hurricane conditions elsewhere in portions of the Hurricane Warning area along the Florida Gulf Coast,” an advisory from the National Hurricane Center read.

“Strong winds will also spread inland across portions of northern Florida and southern Georgia near the track of the center of Idalia where Hurricane Warnings are in effect. Residents in these areas should be prepared for long-duration power outages. Damaging hurricane-force winds are possible in portions of eastern Georgia and southeastern South Carolina where Hurricane Watches are in effect.”

The UCF game is the lone FBS game in the state that might experience some impacts from Hurricane Idalia, although that doesn’t look likely at this time.

Florida is slated to play at Utah on Thursday evening, with the Gators altering their travel plans to make it out ahead of Hurricane Idalia’s approach.

Florida State, meanwhile, which could be near the track of the storm, will be playing a neutral-site game against LSU in Orlando on Sunday, well after the storm has passed.