College athletics officials are keeping a close eye on Hurricane Matthew as it prepares to move up the Atlantic coast later in the week, and while most seem to be in wait-and-see mode, the pressure to make difficult decisions is growing.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley cast doubt Tuesday on the possibility of South Carolina hosting its scheduled 7:30 p.m. game against Georgia in Columbia on Saturday given the current forecast.
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"That's a decision based on the schools, but as of now I can't imagine that happening," Haley said at a news conference. "But certainly, we're going to continue to watch this."
Remember effects (wind, rainfall, high surf etc) will extend well outside of the forecast cone (which is only for the center of #Matthew) pic.twitter.com/fxsNljiTGb
— NHC Atlantic Ops (@NHC_Atlantic) October 4, 2016
Her comments came about an hour after the South Carolina athletic department released a statement saying it was monitoring the storm and in communications with the appropriate officials.
"The safety of everyone that could be impacted by this storm is paramount," the statement read in part. "Once forecasts call for action, we will use all means necessary to inform the public."
Earlier in the day, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly was asked at a news conference about his team's scheduled game against North Carolina State in Raleigh at noon on Saturday. He said school officials had been in contact with the ACC and "everything is on the table right now," including potentially pushing the game back to noon Sunday. He added that there has been no discussion of moving the game up to Friday.
North Carolina is set to host Virginia Tech in Chapel Hill at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, and the Tar Heels said as of Tuesday afternoon that the game is still "on as scheduled."
The most high-profile game along the storm's potential path is No. 10 Miami's matchup with No. 23 Florida State at 8 p.m. Saturday. The hurricane is expected to have passed South Florida by then, but uncertainty about potential damage could prompt a schedule change. As of Monday evening, though, Miami athletic director Blake James told the Palm Beach Post there were no plans to alter the schedule.
According to the Daily Press of Newport News, Va., ACC officials held a conference call Tuesday afternoon to discuss contingency plans but no decisions were made.
