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South Carolina football will face South Carolina State two days earlier in an attempt to avoid Hurricane Ian, according to Alex Scarborough of ESPN.
The game was initially scheduled for Saturday at noon E.T., but it will now be played on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
"Due to the potential impact of the hurricane on Columbia and the surrounding area, it is in the best interest of safety to play the game on Thursday rather than Saturday afternoon," South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner said in a statement.
Hurricane Ian is projected to make landfall in Tampa Bay, Florida, on Wednesday night into Thursday morning, with 2.5 million people in Florida already under evacuation orders, per ABC News.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers moved from their practice facility on Tuesday and will spend time at the Miami Dolphins' facility in South Florida. The Buccaneers are set to host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night, but the game could be moved if necessary.
The storm could travel up the coast after making landfall, with the South Carolina Emergency Management Division urging residents to monitor the situation.
The University of South Carolina is looking to avoid any complications later in the week by adjusting its schedule against the in-state opponent.
"Based on the current forecast and expected weather conditions as well as information from our campus, state and local law enforcement agencies, at this time, the University is confident in our ability to host the game on Thursday at Williams-Brice Stadium."
South Carolina is 2-2 so far this season, losing both of its SEC games but easily beating Georgia State and Charlotte in the nonconference slate. South Carolina State in 1-2 to begin the year, with the Bulldogs preparing to play their fourth straight road game to open 2022.
Bethune-Cookman University announced Tuesday that it will not play sports during the 2020-21 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
School President Dr. E. LaBrent Chrite released the following statement on the decision to HBCU Gameday (h/t ESPN's Myron Medcalf):
"B-CU will forgo all spring athletic competition, including football and men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball and track and field. The recent spike in COVID-19 positivity rates in the state, across Volusia County [Florida] and on our campus provides clear and unambiguous evidence, in our view, that now is simply not the time to resume athletic competition."
Bethune-Cookman competes in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and is a historically black college/university (HBCU).
Per Medcalf, Bethune-Cookman is the first known Division I school to cancel its entire sports slate for the 2020-21 campaign.
Bethune-Cookman football has won eight MEAC championships, including four in a row from 2012 to 2015. The Wildcats also reached the FCS playoffs five times, posting an 0-5 record. The team has posted a winning record in each of the past three seasons and nine of the past 10, including a 7-4 mark in 2019.
The men's basketball team hasn't been as successful, as the Wildcats have never reached the NCAA tournament since the MEAC became a Division I conference in 1980.
Bethune-Cookman made three Division II NCAA tournament fields before then and has won the MEAC regular-season crown twice (2011 and 2018), but it has yet to win the conference tournament. The Wildcats finished 16-14 last season.
The Bethune-Cookman women's basketball team won the MEAC regular-season title in 2016, 2017 and 2020, and reached the NCAA tournament for the first and only time in 2019. The Wildcats went 23-6 last season, but they were upset by Maryland Eastern Shore in the MEAC tournament.
Bethune-Cookman is located in Daytona Beach, Florida, which is part of Volusia County. According to the New York Times (h/t Medcalf), there have been 544 documented new cases of COVID-19 in Volusia County over the past week.
The MEAC has plans in place to play fall sports in the spring provided the COVID-19 landscape allows for it.
