The season opener between LSU and BYU has been moved to New Orleans
The LSU-BYU football game is being relocated from Houston to New Orleans due to weather. As Hurricane Harvey continues to wreak havoc on the Houston area, flooding around the city raises concerns as to whether or not the game would’ve taken place on Saturday. With BYU unable to schedule games on Sundays, a relocation seems fitting for both schools.
#LSU's season opener on Sept. 2 has been relocated to the New Orleans Superdome. Details: https://t.co/jEusdrkpry pic.twitter.com/C0S43TigBq
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) August 28, 2017
As many as five alternate sites were considered, including LSU’s Tiger Stadium, Dallas’ Cotton Bowl and sites in Nashville and Orlando. However, New Orleans seems most suitable. The Superdome will play host to the Saints’ final preseason game on Thursday night. However, officials believe they can have the stadium ready within 48 hours.
The main factor in the decision-making was the inability to travel to Houston and safety for those involved. Houston has received over 33 inches of rain, and in addition to mass flooding, all major highways and both airports have been closed. NRG Stadium is currently a temporary emergency operations center.
Ironically, this is not the first time weather has impacted an LSU football game over the last few seasons. In fact, LSU has played just 11 regular season games for the last two years. From 2015 to 2016, LSU made four schedule changes because of weather. With the BYU bout moved to New Orleans, that number rises to five games in three seasons.
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The game will be the season opener for the Tigers, who ended last season with a massive 29-9 win over Louisville. Meanwhile, BYU opened its season on Saturday. The Cougars defeated Portland State 20-6 to kick start their season in “Week Zero”. The game will be broadcasted live on ESPN on Sep. 2 with kick off slated for 8:30 p.m. CT from New Orleans, LA.