The location of Saturday’s AdvoCare Texas Kickoff football game — scheduled to pit BYU and Louisiana State University in Houston — is in serious question because of flooding brought on by Hurricane Harvey.
SBNation reported Sunday morning that officials from both schools and ESPN planned to meet on Sunday to discus moving the game. It appears that all three entities are determined to play the game, somewhere, because the remaining open dates on both teams’ schedules do not match.
BYU Athletic Director tweeted that all parties are working on a solution.
Cougar Nation, All parties involved are working on a solution to our scheduled game with LSU this weekend. We will announce plans when final
— Tom Holmoe (@TomHolmoe) August 27, 2017
The only option not on the table is playing the game on Sunday — BYU does not allow its athletic teams to practice or play games on Sundays, for religious reasons.
According to The Advocate newspaper of Baton Rouge, La., options include moving the game to LSU’s Tiger Stadium in Louisiana or moving it to New Orleans’ Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
A BYU official said Saturday night that the school is monitoring the situation and in contact with the game’s organizers and ESPN, which is scheduled to television the 7:30 p.m. MDT contest.
ESPN has an eight-year agreement with Lone Star Sports & Entertainment, the company that hosts the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff annually. The agreement is in its fifth year.
Another option being discussed is to move the game to Monday afternoon and keeping it at NRG Stadium in Houston, home of the NFL’s Houston Texans. That is probably not agreeable for BYU because the Cougars host rival Utah on Sept. 9 at LaVell Edwards Stadium, and a Labor Day game would considerably cut down BYU’s preparation for the rivalry game.
Utah plays North Dakota on Thursday at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
LSU will receive $4 million form ESPN to play in the game, according to a contract obtained by The Advocate. The contract does not list how much BYU is due to get for playing. If the game is canceled because of weather, ESPN and the schools are not responsible for finding another date or venue.
BYU has sold out its allotment of 9,400 tickets, while LSU received 25,000 tickets and had sold more than 23,000 as of the middle of last week.
Hurricane Harvey pounded the Texas coast on Friday night, and is expected to remain in the Houston area until Wednesday or Thursday. Houston television stations reported more than 2 feet of rain as of Saturday night, with more expected.
Roads near the stadium were flooded and impassable on Sunday morning.
Cougs, Pray for the people of Houston who are suffering and scared. I trust you know we'll study all the best options to work out the game. pic.twitter.com/FPqKDawSVO
— Tom Holmoe (@TomHolmoe) August 27, 2017