CORAL GABLES -- There is a strong possibility Miami's home game against Georgia Tech will be rescheduled because of Hurricane Wilma, and canceling Saturday's game could alter more than just Miami and Georgia Tech's schedule.
Hurricane Wilma is a category 1 storm that is presently gaining strength in the northwest Caribbean. It's headed for the southern region of Florida by the weekend. The storm is expected to gain strength daily, and early projections have it impacting South Florida as early as Saturday morning.
UM Athletic Director Paul Dee was busy Tuesday morning holding discussions with ACC officials and television executives from ABC and ESPN - which both planned to televise Saturday's game - about the possible need to reschedule what is presently a noon kickoff inside the Orange Bowl.
Dee said talks will continue today and Wednesday morning and he expects a decision on the game will be made by midday Wednesday. One of the primary concerns was travel for Georgia Tech's players, coaches and fans, traffic congestion, and the conditions of the roadways following Wilma's landfall.
"It's a little too far out right now. While the forecasting is good, you want it to be as accurate as you can before you make a decision on something that's going to affect 40, 50, 60,000 people," Dee said. "We'd like to play the game. That's No. 1."
According to Dee, the game also has to be played because it impacts the ACC title game, which will be played on Dec. 3 in Jacksonville's Alltel Stadium. However, Miami and Georgia Tech don't share a common open date, which means another of the ACC's teams - most likely Wake Forest - will have its schedule altered.
ACC officials, which did not return a call, are presently working on tentative plans to either push Saturday's game up a day, to Friday, or reschedule UM's game against Georgia Tech to Nov. 17 or 19th, with the Nov. 17 game against Wake Forest moved up to Nov. 12, which is presently UM's bye week.
"We're going to talk about all reasonable possibilities that deal with safety for the players students and fans," Dee said. "The conference is very concerned about Wilma and we know we can't sit around here till Friday to make a decision."
Hurricane Wilma is a category 1 storm that is presently gaining strength in the northwest Caribbean. It's headed for the southern region of Florida by the weekend. The storm is expected to gain strength daily, and early projections have it impacting South Florida as early as Saturday morning.
UM Athletic Director Paul Dee was busy Tuesday morning holding discussions with ACC officials and television executives from ABC and ESPN - which both planned to televise Saturday's game - about the possible need to reschedule what is presently a noon kickoff inside the Orange Bowl.
Dee said talks will continue today and Wednesday morning and he expects a decision on the game will be made by midday Wednesday. One of the primary concerns was travel for Georgia Tech's players, coaches and fans, traffic congestion, and the conditions of the roadways following Wilma's landfall.
"It's a little too far out right now. While the forecasting is good, you want it to be as accurate as you can before you make a decision on something that's going to affect 40, 50, 60,000 people," Dee said. "We'd like to play the game. That's No. 1."
According to Dee, the game also has to be played because it impacts the ACC title game, which will be played on Dec. 3 in Jacksonville's Alltel Stadium. However, Miami and Georgia Tech don't share a common open date, which means another of the ACC's teams - most likely Wake Forest - will have its schedule altered.
ACC officials, which did not return a call, are presently working on tentative plans to either push Saturday's game up a day, to Friday, or reschedule UM's game against Georgia Tech to Nov. 17 or 19th, with the Nov. 17 game against Wake Forest moved up to Nov. 12, which is presently UM's bye week.
"We're going to talk about all reasonable possibilities that deal with safety for the players students and fans," Dee said. "The conference is very concerned about Wilma and we know we can't sit around here till Friday to make a decision."
