USF will stay in Orlando for their matchup against Memphis after Hurricane Milton

USF head coach Alex Golesh announced that the USF football team would move East to Orlando with the threat of Hurricane Milton coming straight for Tampa. The Bulls were set to take on American Athletic Conference foe Memphis on Friday, October 11, but due to the uncertainty of when and where the storm would hit, the AAC made the decision to delay the game to Saturday, October 12.

Hurricane Milton ended up making landfall just south of the Tampa Bay area near Sarasota late Wednesday night, but the damages to the Bay were still catastrophic. Milton, which at one point was a Category 5 hurricane, made landfall as a strong Category 3 hurricane and moved across the state of Florida as a Category 1.

After seeing the damage to the city and to Raymond James Stadium, home of the Bulls and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the AAC made the decision to move the game to Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

USF will not have to make any travel plans for the game as they are already residing in Orlando and have been since Tuesday before the storm hit.

The Buccaneers, who left Tampa early for their game in New Orleans this week, made a statement saying the damages to the facilities were merely cosmetic. From the looks of it, the stadium sustained flooding that probably needed time to recede and would not have been game-ready by game time on Saturday.

The American Athletic Conference said the reason for moving the game to Camping World Stadium in Orlando was due to talks with law enforcement for the safety of the public and to respect the response and recovery efforts that have begun in the area.

While Orlando also sustained damage from the storm, the AAC believes it will be safer for the game to take place there. This game will mean more than just football for the Bulls. However, it will be a game that can bring fans together after unspeakable destruction just ravaged their city.