Hurricane Irma is in the process of bearing down on Florida, with the Gulf Coast bearing the brunt of the storm -- and specifically Tampa Bay. The storm should clear out by next weekend, but the real work begins when the storm clouds are gone.
As such, there is a question about No. 22 South Florida’s Week 3 date with Illinois. The Bulls’ trip to Connecticut was canceled, but the club will need to resume its schedule at some point. And that some point could be Friday night’s game with the Illini, which is scheduled to be played at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium.
According to a report from the Champaign News-Gazette, Illinois officials have contacted their USF counterparts with an offer to play the game in Champaign. USF AD Mark Harlan addressed the report on Twitter without denying or confirming it.
Regarding this, all we care about is keeping everyone safe. When appropriate, we will adress this and be thoughtful. Everyone take care- https://t.co/OkuR84Xalb
— Mark Harlan (@MarkHarlan_AD) September 10, 2017
The News-Gazette’s report stated no decision is expected until Monday at the earliest.
For what it’s worth, this week’s scheduled game is the first of a 2-game home-and-home. The Illini are slated to host South Florida at Soldier Field on Sept. 15 of next year, so it’s theoretically possible the home games could simply be swapped for each team.