ORLANDO, Fla. _ Florida State administrators are monitoring Tropical Storm Dorian, which could develop into a hurricane and potentially impact the Seminoles' season opener against Boise State in Jacksonville Saturday night.
"Our game operations staff monitors potential weather impacts for all of our contests on a regular basis and will continue to do so," an FSU spokesman told the Orlando Sentinel. "If severe weather presents any issues, we will make appropriate adjustments."
Central Florida and South Florida remain in the storm's potential path, the National Hurricane Center said during its Tuesday morning update. And Dorian is forecast to be a hurricane when it passes near or over Puerto Rico later this week.
During the 8 a.m. Tuesday advisory, the hurricane center's updated track projected Dorian could be off the coast of Jupiter early Sunday, but the cone of uncertainty shows it could also be anywhere from north of Orlando to west of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico by that time.
At least one of the National Hurricane Center models, however, showed Tuesday morning that the storm could dissipate before even reaching Florida.
Meteorologists have urged Florida residents to prepare for all possible scenarios, which include a storm hitting the Jacksonville area the same weekend as FSU's scheduled opener against Boise State.
The Seminoles and Stetson are likely the only two football programs in the state whose schedules could be impacted by the storm, with the Hatters slated to host Presbyterian College in DeLand at 7 p.m. Saturday night.
Other games featuring in-state schools are not expected to be altered due to the storm, although return travel could be a challenge for teams competing on the road.
UCF hosts Florida A&M Thursday night, FIU plays at Tulane Thursday night, Wisconsin plays at USF Friday night, FAU plays at Ohio State Saturday and Bethune-Cookman plays Jackson State in Atlanta Sunday.
Florida and Miami have byes after playing this past Saturday in Orlando.
Hurricanes have had a significant impact on college football schedules throughout the state of Florida the past few seasons, with schools scrambling to cancel and reschedule games or hold practices far from home to avoid storms.
The FSU football program rallied around defensive end Janarius Robinson last season after his family's home in Panama City was leveled by Hurricane Michael. Robinson got a waiver from the NCAA allowing him to raise funds to help his family's rebuilding efforts.
Numerous Florida State athletes have volunteered throughout the past year to help rebuild Mexico Beach and Panama City areas still recovering from the Category 5 hurricane.
