Ole Miss and the SEC Exploring Alternatives Alabama Game Due to Hurricane Delta

There's a very realistic chance that the Ole Miss vs. Alabama game may not happen on Saturday evening as prior planned.

The game, which is currently scheduled to be played at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss. at 5 p.m. CT this Saturday evening, may be either moved up or delayed due to the presence of Hurricane Delta.

According to a source close to the decision-making process on Wednesday, the schools and the Southeastern conference are exploring "alternate measures" for when the game is to be played.

Another high-ranking source in the Ole Miss athletics department said that they are exploring playing the game later on Saturday, on Sunday, or even on Nov. 7, when both Ole Miss and Alabama have a bye week. Counter to prior other reports, playing the game on Friday would be "highly unlikely," according to our sources.

The Grove Report also reached out to Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter, who didn't want to be quoted in the story. Head coach Lane Kiffin told the media on Wednesday morning that he expects a decision from the conference on Thursday.

Latest projections of the storm have it reaching Mid-Mississippi by Saturday afternoon. Currently, winds are holding steady around 110 mph (right on the edge between a Category 3 and Category 4). It projects to make landfall between Louisiana and Mississippi as a Category 4 on Friday afternoon.

Hurricane #Delta makes landfall along the coast of northeastern Mexico near Puerto Morelos around 5:30 AM CDT with estimated maximum winds of 110 mph. Latest information at: https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb pic.twitter.com/cWKYybKCMi
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 7, 2020

Earlier today, the SEC moved LSU's home game vs. Missouri to Columbia, due to the hurricane. They added that they are continuing to monitor the path of Hurricane Delta as it regards to other games to be played this weekend.

"Due to the pending impact of Hurricane Delta on Louisiana and the surrounding area, it is in the best interest for the safety of everyone involved to move the game to Columbia," SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a release. "It was critical to relocate the game to an SEC campus where SEC COVID-19 management protocols are in place and readily applied. I appreciate the cooperation of the schools who are working closely to make the appropriate operational adjustments in order to prioritize the health and safety of our student-athletes while accommodating this change in the schedule."

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