Hurricane Irma has prompted officials to move UCF's home game versus Memphis to 6:30 p.m. Friday at Spectrum Stadium.
The stadium will open at 5 p.m. for the American Athletic Conference game, but there will be no tailgating allowed. In a news release, UCF said, "First responders throughout Central Florida will be preparing for this Category 5 storm and UCF will not have the law enforcement resources needed to staff tailgating areas."
The game was scheduled to be played Saturday at 8 p.m., but Tuesday morning the new models for the Category 5 hurricane suggested it could have a significant impact on the entire state of Florida.
The Central Florida region could feel the storm impact early Sunday and Monday, potentially close to the end of the game. Fans could be leaving the stadium amid the start of tropical storm winds and the Tigers' travel back to Memphis could be hindered.
UCF athletics director Danny White said, "The best option for ensuring this game is played is to move it to Friday night. With travel considerations, we had to make that decision today. I thank the University of Memphis and the American Athletic Conference for working with us to keep safety our top priority while finding a way to play this game."
In addition to the game move, UCF said that All Family Weekend activities have been canceled, and refunds for special events will be automatically issued.
Florida, Florida State and FIU are scheduled to host home games Saturday night. Officials at all schools said they are monitoring the storm, but none have indicated they have any plans to move the games.
Miami could feel the impact of the storm as early as Friday, making it likely the Panthers will need to move or postpone their Saturday night game against Alcorn State. Kickoff is currently scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
