Hurricane Harvey moves LSU-BYU from Houston to New Orleans

Hurricane Harvey’s landfall in Southeast Texas has led to catastrophic flooding in the Houston area.

For the third time in three years, LSU has dealt with a weather situation wreaking havoc on a game it was scheduled to play away from its Baton Rouge campus.

The Tigers had been scheduled to open against BYU in the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff in Houston on Saturday, Sept. 2, but the game’s moving to New Orleans. The kickoff time staying as scheduled at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Officials from both schools met with ESPN on Sunday to discuss moving the game away from Houston’s NRG Stadium. LSU’s Tiger Stadium was also considered. The Advocate’s Ross Dellenger reported Nashville, Orlando, and possibly Jacksonville were also in consideration to get the game.

New Orleans is also in Harvey’s path.

A source told SB Nation on Sunday that both schools are committed to playing the game Saturday in a different city. BYU does not allow its athletic teams to play on Sundays, per university policy in accordance with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

The AdvoCare game is owned by a subsidiary of ESPN, meaning the network had the final decision on relocation, with input from the schools.

In 2016, LSU’s road game at Florida was moved to Baton Rouge amid Hurricane Matthew. In 2015, flooding in South Carolina relocated Tigers-Gamecocks to Baton Rouge.

The Houston Cougars moved Aug. 26 and 27 practices to the Texas Longhorns’ Austin campus, with UH’s next game scheduled for Sept. 2 at UTSA. Sam Houston State postponed an Aug. 27 home game against Richmond, which is now being played Friday on Baylor’s campus in Waco.

Rice is taking a wait-and-see approach.

Texas Southern is scheduled to play in Houston against Prairie View A&M on Sept. 2. Most area campuses were also closed early for the weekend.

The Houston Texans are currently away from home in, of all places, New Orleans. The Texans have held joint practices with the Saints this week and played them in a preseason game Saturday night. The Texans are scheduled to host the Dallas Cowboys at NRG on Thursday. Both of Houston’s professional soccer teams, the Dynamo and Dash, canceled games this weekend. The Astros are in California for a weekend series, but they are scheduled to play the Texas Rangers starting Tuesday. That series will happen at Tampa’s Tropicana Field, the home of the Rays.