How and Why Hurricane Irma Forced Miami Postponements

Due to Hurricane Irma two weeks of football and about a week and half of classes have been cancelled. Many administrators, politicians and coaches have spoken out about the decisions that have been made.

Florida Governor Rick Scott made the decision to close all public schools in Florida because of Hurricane Irma. That was from kindergarten all the way through four-year colleges. He doesn’t have a say over the University of Miami. Miami is a private school that is able to make its own independent decisions.

He doesn’t have a say over the University of Miami. Miami is a private school that is able to make its own independent decisions.

The U posted a statement on their web page today. The University of Miami will be closed through Monday, September 18. Florida State will also be closed through Friday according to a statement released on their page.

With the focus on potential clean up on the two campuses, it made playing a football clearly of secondary importance. Without class, some of the players from both teams could be helping their families once Irma moves through.

The administrations of Miami, Florida State and the Atlantic Coast Conference have all issued statements regarding Irma and the rescheduling of Miami and Florida State from this Saturday to October 7.

ACC Commissioner John Swofford issued a statement regarding the process that went into the decision to move the Miami Hurricanes-Florida State and Miami-Georgia Tech games.

"“Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who is feeling the effects of Hurricane Irma,…As important as football is to all of us, these kinds of events provide perspective when you’re talking about life-threatening events and the aftermath ramifications.“It quickly became clear that it was in the best interest of our players, coaches and fans to reschedule next week’s Miami at Florida State game. Typically, it’s not easy to reschedule games, but in this instance, there was a clear path to adjust quickly and effectively.“I appreciate the leadership at our schools and with our television partners as this process was seamless, and we were able to adjust in as fair a way as possible.”"

The statement about the extension of Florida State’s cancelling of classes came from a website setup just alerts .

"“Based on the most recent forecast from the National Hurricane Center, Florida State University is extending its current closure through Friday, Sept. 15, for all campuses, due to concerns about the impact of the storm and possible long-term power outages in the Tallahassee area as a result of fallen trees.”"

The University of Miami also has an advisory set up on their website regarding Hurricane Irma and its impact on the University.

"We are proactively planning the recovery process. This is the latest information:The earliest that classes will resume on the Coral Gables main campus and Rosenstiel Marine campus will be Monday, September 18. All other activities at the University are cancelled through that time.We are revising the academic calendar for the rest of the semester; we’ll share additional information as soon as possible.We will update students as soon as possible about the opening of the residential colleges.Separate communications will be sent to non-essential employees from Human Resources or supervisors about when they should return to work.The University of Miami Health System and Miller School of Medicine will issue separate advisories on when classes will resume and with more detailed information on resumption of clinical, non-essential, and essential operations."

The decision to postpone the Miami Hurricanes-Florida State game to October 7 was the right one. It gives the schools, their athletic department and football teams time to regroup and get back to some sense of normalcy.

Next: How Does Re-Scheduling Affect Miami Hurricanes?

Time will determine how difficult that task will be. The eye of the storm is now expected to be about halfway between Coral Gables and Tallahassee. The Tampa Bay area is expected to have the first major Hurricane have an eye pass through there in nearly 100 years.