Oklahoma vs. Tulane Game Moved to Norman
UPDATE (4:30 p.m. Monday 8/30):
In the wake of Hurricane Ida slamming New Orleans, the Oklahoma vs. Tulane game has been moved to Norman at 11 a.m. on Saturday and will air on ABC.
“Even with the change in venue, Tulane will be the designated home team for this game and will retain all net proceeds from ticket sales,” Oklahoma said in a media release.
“In this extraordinarily difficult moment for the people of Louisiana, we want to do our small part by assisting Tulane with the game this weekend,” said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said in the release. “While we regret that it’s necessary for us to host it, we will welcome the Tulane family this Saturday with open arms and heavy hearts. We hope this act is one small way that we can help alleviate some of the stress the university is currently enduring.
“Our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with all those impacted and those helping with the relief and recovery in the coming weeks and months.”
Earlier on Monday, The Athletic’s Jason Kersey reported that the game won’t be played at Yulman Stadium, which was supposed to host the game. But it’s not clear what actually will happen to the game. Kersey wrote that Tulane’s Troy Dannen told The Athletic the game could be held in Norman, Oklahoma, or canceled.
Dannen confirmed on Twitter late Monday morning that no decision had been finalized. He was retweeting a tweet from Kersey that had since been deleted.
Right now, the Green Wave are safe and out of New Orleans, as they are now in Birmingham, Alabama. The Tulane volleyball team is also in Tallahassee, Florida. The biggest issue for hosting a game in New Orleans is power, and the Green Wave noted that issue when it relocated those two teams.
The Sooners and the Green Wave were already considering contingency plans for the season opener on Friday, as it was clear Ida would make landfall in the New Orleans area. Ida did so on Sunday, making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, which was actually more powerful than Katrina, which was a Category 3 when it make landfall 16 years to the day that Ida made landfall.
On Friday, Sooners athletic director Joe Castiglione noted that the game was still on as planned. As of early Monday afternoon, he had not posted anything to his Twitter feed related to the game with Tulane.
READ MORE: Oklahoma State is Being Massively Undervalued in Conference Realignment
READ MORE: These Week 1 Big 12 Conference Games Have Extra Importance
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
**Want to win a $20 gift card? Go sign up here and join our conversation! The best poster each week wins a gift card to your favorite establishment!**
