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UPDATE: Oklahoma vs. Tulane Officially Moved to Norman

The Sooners and Green Wave have been scheduled to play on Saturday morning in New Orleans, but Hurricane Ida has forced a change in plans.

John E. Hoover

UPDATE: Oklahoma vs. Tulane Officially Moved to Norman
UPDATE: Oklahoma vs. Tulane Officially Moved to Norman /

UPDATE (4:30 p.m.):

The game is in fact on, and will take place in Norman at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

Per the University of Oklahoma, the game will still be broadcast on ABC. 

In the wake of the crisis with Hurricane Ida, a chunk of the proceeds from the game will go back to Tulane. 

"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."

Original post (9:45 a.m.)

Although official word hasn’t come down yet, the long-expected decision reportedly has been made to move No. 2-ranked Oklahoma’s season opener Saturday at Tulane to Norman.

That’s according to a report on Twitter from KOKH Fox 25 sports reporter and Sports Animal co-host Curtis Fitzpatrick.

Damage from Hurricane Ida’s trip Sunday through New Orleans forced the schools into this decision. Most of the city is without mainline electricity and emergency services are on backup generators. Ida strengthened as it traveled through the Gulf of Mexico and made landfall in Louisiana on Sunday morning as a Category 4 hurricane reportedly with sustained winds of 150 mph.

Speculation has been rampant since last week, when Ida was still designated as Tropical Depression 9, that the Sooners and Green Wave would have to move their game — either to later in the season or to another venue. However, Tulane's open date this year is set for Oct. 14, while Oklahoma's is on Nov. 6.

The Tulane football team has relocated its operations and is currently practicing in Birmingham, AL.

The schools signed a contract to play two games in Norman and one in New Orleans. They met in 2017 (OU won 56-14) and are scheduled to play at OU again in 2024. Playing this year's contest in Norman would likely facilitate the 2024 game's move to New Orleans. 

It's expected Saturday's game will still kick off at 11 a.m. and will be broadcast by ABC.

An official announcement from the schools is expected around noon, sources told SI Sooners, although Tulane athletic director Troy Dannen took to social media Monday to refute that a formal decision has yet been made.

It’s unclear yet how OU will handle an expected sudden demand for tickets. A source said the athletic department is working through details as of Monday morning.

It will be the first time since 2004 that the Sooners open a season with four straight home games.

UPDATE (11:30):

SI's Ross Dellenger is reporting that Dannen has informed him that contingencies are in fact being made to move the game to Norman - but that there is still a question as to whether or not the Green Wave will play at all. 

If the game is played, it will be in Norman. But right now the question of if the game will be played doesn't have a clear answer. 

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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