The University of Memphis football team?s upcoming game against UCF has been rescheduled for Friday at 5:30 p.m. CT, the American Athletic Conference announced Tuesday afternoon.
With Hurricane Irma, now a Category 5 storm, coming up through the Caribbean islands and likely headed toward Florida, the decision was made Tuesday to play the game at Spectrum Stadium in Orlando, Florida about 24 hours earlier than originally scheduled.
Officials from both schools, the league and ESPN were in contact Tuesday morning about possible alternatives and decided on Friday evening as the best course of action.
With travel considerations, we had to make that decision today," UCF athletics director Danny White said in a statement. "I thank the University of Memphis and the American Athletic Conference for working with us to keep safety our top priority while finding a way to play this game."
Television arrangements for the game, which was originally set to be televised on ESPNews, will be announced later this week, according to the AAC.
Despite the scheduling change, Memphis and UCF might still have to deal with difficult weather conditions Friday night. It could be the second consecutive week in which the Tigers have to navigate challenging weather after the rainy, windy conditions in their 37-29 victory over Louisiana-Monroe at the Liberty Bowl last week.
With Hurricane Irma, now a Category 5 storm, coming up through the Caribbean islands and likely headed toward Florida, the decision was made Tuesday to play the game at Spectrum Stadium in Orlando, Florida about 24 hours earlier than originally scheduled.
Officials from both schools, the league and ESPN were in contact Tuesday morning about possible alternatives and decided on Friday evening as the best course of action.
With travel considerations, we had to make that decision today," UCF athletics director Danny White said in a statement. "I thank the University of Memphis and the American Athletic Conference for working with us to keep safety our top priority while finding a way to play this game."
Television arrangements for the game, which was originally set to be televised on ESPNews, will be announced later this week, according to the AAC.
Despite the scheduling change, Memphis and UCF might still have to deal with difficult weather conditions Friday night. It could be the second consecutive week in which the Tigers have to navigate challenging weather after the rainy, windy conditions in their 37-29 victory over Louisiana-Monroe at the Liberty Bowl last week.
