On Wednesday night, Alabama announced that their upcoming matchup with Georgia is still planned to go ahead as originally programmed.
At least for now.
A developing weather pattern in the Gulf of Mexico has intensified into Tropical Storm Isaias, with expectations to strengthen into a hurricane shortly. Present forecasts project the storm’s path heading east of Texas, tracking toward the coastal regions of Mississippi and Alabama, where it may make landfall by the end of the week.
Consequently, the Saturday home matchup in Tuscaloosa featuring the sixth-ranked Crimson Tide and the second-ranked Bulldogs might be heavily impacted by severe rainfall.
“The Alabama athletic department is keeping a watchful eye on meteorological predictions for Saturday’s gridiron matchup, prioritizing the health and safety of players, coaches, support personnel, and spectators above all else,” the university declared in a Wednesday evening release. “We are staying in constant contact with the National Weather Service, the SEC leadership, and the University of Georgia while tracking the storm’s progress.
“As of now, the game is still set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT this Saturday. We advise supporters to consult only verified Alabama athletic and SEC media outlets for real-time updates concerning the weekend’s event.”
This update echoed a previous message shared by the university on Tuesday evening. On that same day, Al.com ran a piece featuring an interview with James Spann, who is widely regarded as the premier meteorological expert in Alabama.
“There is a possibility of a hurricane coming ashore near Mobile Bay,” Spann explained to the outlet. “Between the Alabama-Georgia matchup, a visit from the president, and ‘College GameDay,’ there is already so much going on. Add in the major [Zach Bryan] performance at Auburn and the massive National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores this weekend, and it is a recipe for absolute chaos.”
The politician Spann mentioned is indeed Donald Trump, who is scheduled to watch the matchup in person. This marks the second SEC matchup he has spectated over a three-week span, following his appearance at Texas’s victory over Tennessee during Week 4—an event that also hosted ESPN’s traveling pregame broadcast in Knoxville.
The game is slated to begin shortly after 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC this Saturday. It stands as the weekend’s sole battle between top-10 programs, as well as one of only two games featuring AP Top 25 opponents in Week 6.
