Indiana-FIU matchup cancelled due to Hurricane Irma

Huge, somewhat unexpected news for Indiana football on Monday evening: Saturday’s matchup against FIU will be cancelled due to Hurricane Irma’s impact on South Florida.

FIU’s Miami area campus sustained heavy damage through the weekend storm, and has been operating out of UAB’s campus and facilities in Birmingham since evacuating the Sweetwater, Florida campus earlier last week.

Indiana says they’re working to schedule a home game for October 7, which would be rare, wild, and almost unprecedented in the world of college football to schedule a game three weeks out.

It’s all small potatoes in a world where lives and homes have been lost for the past week of Irma’s impact, but the loss of the FIU game could potentially have major bowl ramifications on Indiana’s season later on this year. But more on that later. If FIU doesn’t feel they can play, this is the right call.

Here’s the full release from IU. We’ll have more in a moment.

Indiana University Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Fred Glass announced tonight that after a series of discussions with Florida International officials beginning on Sunday, Indiana supports FIU's decision to cancel Saturday's football game in Bloomington in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, which devastated South Florida over the weekend. IU is working diligently to try and find an opponent to play at Memorial Stadium on October 7th, the team's previously scheduled bye week. Tickets and parking passes issued for the FIU game will be redeemable for the game against the new opponent, regardless of when it occurs.

Glass and FIU Athletic Director Pete Garcia have been in regular communication since Sunday about the situation, and with FIU classes being canceled, several FIU players and coaches being from the South Florida area, along with the considerable logistical hurdles to overcome in traveling to Bloomington, the decision to cancel the game was made late on Monday evening. The two programs plan to schedule a game between the schools at Memorial Stadium at some point in the future.

All involved with IU Athletics offer their thoughts and prayers to Florida International University and all who live in areas devastated by Hurricane Irma.