Hurricane Milton is set to make landfall in Florida in the coming days, and it could throw off several college football games this weekend.
Milton formed in recent days over the Gulf of Mexico, and it is expected to hit land Wednesday night or early Thursday. The storm, which has reached Category 5 status, will be a “large and powerful hurricane” when it reaches Florida, the National Hurricane Center said on Monday. By Monday afternoon, peak winds of the storm were up to 175 mph — which is up 85 mph from just 12 hours before, according to The Washington Post. It is currently the strongest Gulf of Mexico hurricane this late in the season since at least 1966, per the report, and the strongest in general since Hurricane Rita in 2005.
Hurricane Milton rapidly intensified Monday morning, strengthening from Category 4 to Category 5 with sustained winds of around 160 mph as it took aim at the Florida Gulf Coast. Millions are facing the prospect of evacuation as Milton approaches. https://t.co/PKJwUGbAh4
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) October 7, 2024
The storm has already prompted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to leave early for New Orleans ahead of their matchup with the Saints this weekend. The team is going to leave on Tuesday.
Florida is set to take on No. 8 Tennessee in Knoxville on Saturday and will likely have to make a similar travel decision soon, too. Both Florida State and No. 6 Miami have a bye week this weekend.
Other Florida schools, however, could see their home games this weekend impacted due to the storm.
Memphis at South Florida
Friday, Oct. 11 | Tampa, Florida
Of all the events in the region, this game is at risk more than any other. The storm is slated to make landfall in the Tampa Bay region on Wednesday night. While that’s about 48 hours before kickoff, that will make things very hard logistically on both programs. Memphis’ travel will undoubtedly be impacted, and it will surely be difficult to play a game in the wake of a major storm like this.
Don’t be surprised if this game is postponed in the coming days.
Cincinnati at UCF
Saturday, Oct. 12 | Orlando, Florida
While the storm is currently projected to travel over the Orlando area, it should have weakened significantly by that point. And, with this game a day later than the Memphis-South Florida matchup, it’s more likely that the contest will be played as scheduled so long as the damage in the area isn’t too outstanding.
North Texas at FAU
Saturday, Oct. 12 | Boca Raton, Florida
This game, which will be played just north of Fort Lauderdale, should be fine based on the current projections. The storm will be well out over the Atlantic by Saturday afternoon, and it is slated to cross Florida well north of the Miami region.
