GAINESVILLE, FL- As you’ve probably heard by now, the Florida Gators football game against LSU has been postponed indefinitely.
Florida’s outgoing Athletic Director Jeremy Foley stated that UF is 100% open to any scenario that allows the game to be played at a later date. Foley stated that EMS and security is being deployed, rightfully so, to other parts of Florida, making the game impossible to play.
Florida is taking a lot of criticism for their handling of the situation through various social media platforms, and it’s still not clear why Florida and the SEC delayed the announcement to Thursday evening, less than 48 hours from kickoff. What is clear, is that all involved (finally) made the right choice.
Eighty three players on the Florida football roster are from the state of Florida. Most of these players families live in Florida. Their minds will be elsewhere with the possible destruction that could take place with a major hurricane landing in Florida.
Was Florida offered the opportunity to play in Baton Rouge by the LSU administration? Probably. It sure seems so. Even Foley didn’t deny that. But why would Florida take that offer? The fact is the Gainesville economy would take a hit of several hundreds of thousands of dollars by missing a home game.
Also, this is Florida’s biggest draw for recruiting this season. This was the Gators opportunity to show many recruits the campus and allow them to take in the atmosphere at “the Swamp.” If you take this game out of Gainesville, Florida loses the official visit of all those recruits.
Will Florida and LSU play on November 19th like everyone seems to want? The Gators are currently scheduled to play Presbyterian College and LSU is scheduled to play South Alabama. According to Foley, Florida would pay Presbyterian about $500,000 for a bit out and according to LSU beat reporter Ross Dellenger, LSU would pay $1.5 million to buy out South Alabama.
In conclusion, Florida and the SEC came to the right conclusion. It’s a shame it took as long as it did, but the right decision has been made.
Florida will face the Missouri Tigers on Saturday, October 15 at 4:00 PM for homecoming weekend.