Florida State officials remain optimistic that Saturday’s home football game with Wake Forest will occur despite the impending threat of Hurricane Ian.
“Following our most recent briefing today with authorities, University administration, transportation officials, security, law enforcement and emergency responders, we remain confident that we will be able to safely host Saturday’s football game against Wake Forest at its scheduled kickoff time,” FSU athletics director Michael Alford said in a statement Tuesday evening. “We will continue to monitor the hurricane and all weather advisories and take action if needed to ensure the safety of all involved.”
The latest projections have Hurricane Ian gaining strength as it makes its way through the Gulf of Mexico towards Florida with landfall expected Wednesday morning. Now a category 3 hurricane, Ian is expected to make its way over the state over the next two days before moving north.
Amid concerns over the impact of the storm, Florida and UCF postponed their scheduled home games to Sunday. The Gators are set to host Eastern Washington at the Swamp at noon while the Knights will host SMU at 1 p.m.
An ACC official told the Orlando Sentinel late Tuesday afternoon that league officials were in constant contact with both Florida State and Wake Forest as well as local leaders but no change to the status of the game was expected. The conference would obviously continue to monitor the situation.
“You certainly hope that the ACC will make the right decision,” said Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson. “If they don’t, we will. We’re not going to travel down there and put anyone at risk.”
