ATLANTA, Ga. — No. 2 Georgia and No. 6 Alabama still plan to play Saturday night in Tuscaloosa despite Hurricane Isaias, with the game set for 7:30 p.m. ET even as forecasters track heavy rain and wind across the Southeast.
Reporting Thursday said the plan is still to play as scheduled at Bryant-Denny Stadium. It is possible the kickoff time could shift, but Alabama has said there are currently no plans to alter the contest. An SEC spokesperson said the conference is keeping an eye on forecasts and staying in communication with schools whose games could be impacted by weather.
The storm is still gaining strength and is headed for a Gulf Coast landfall Friday night with storm surge, rainfall flooding and high winds before spreading heavy rain inland over the East this weekend. The system is projected to move through Tuscaloosa on Saturday morning ahead of the scheduled game time.
Forecast products cited an 80 percent chance of rain during the day with winds up to 30 mph in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, with winds later dropping toward about 10 mph and a 40 percent chance of rain by the night.
College GameDay announced it is moving its pregame show inside Coleman Coliseum on Alabama campus, with doors scheduled to open at 5:30 a.m. CT and the show set to begin at 8 a.m. CT because of safety concerns with the weather.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart called the weather an uncertainty beyond his control and said teams cannot really practice tropical conditions. Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said the Tide are doing wet ball drills again after similar prep before last week Mississippi State win. Both teams entered the week undefeated in a pivotal SEC and College Football Playoff race.
