Time to figure out how and when to play LSU-Florida

There were good reasons to postpone LSU at Florida. The bickering back and forth about wheres, whys and hows of the decision is unseemly.

Hurricane Matthew didn’t hit Gainesville. But as late as Thursday, when the decision not to play was made, there wasn’t certainty as to just what would happen. Various predictions suggested it would be as strong a storm — potentially catastrophic — as has hit Florida’s Atlantic Coast in a very long time. Florida Gov. Rick Scott warned, “This is going to kill people.”

Ultimately, and thankfully, Matthew didn’t strike as hard as it might have. But first-responders who normally work football games in Gainesville were otherwise occupied along the coast. And the idea that a football game should hold any importance at all during that situation — or that officials at one school or another had ulterior motives, and that correspondingly the SEC commissioner somehow got played  — well, enough of that.

Rescheduling LSU-Florida game could be a problem for SEC

It’s time now to figure out how to get the game played. The options aren’t great, but they’re doable.

On Saturday, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said it is a priority to get the game played.

"The game needs to be played, and we need to work to find a way to do that," Sankey said. "This conference often describes itself as a family. A family has points of tension. I certainly understand the angst and frustration. I have my own level of angst, but we need to come together to play a football game and find the best way to do that."

The best option is Nov. 19, even though it would require both teams to cancel a home game (LSU with South Alabama, Florida with Presbyterian). Buy out those games, play in Gainesville. In that case, though, not only would LSU lose a home game, the Tigers would be faced with three consecutive SEC road games, and in 13 days (they play at Arkansas Nov. 12 and at Texas A&M on Thursday, Nov. 24).

LSU athletic director Joe Alleva said Monday that is not an option, however.

Another option is Oct. 29. LSU is idle, and the Florida-Georgia game could be moved up a week (the Gators and Bulldogs are idle Oct. 22). But the logistics of moving that game are considerable, too, because the game is played at EverBank Field in Jacksonville.

The stadium is configured differently for Florida-Georgia than for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, who have a home game scheduled Oct. 23.

Every solution brings its own set of problems. But the game needs to be played — and not simply because not playing it might alter on the SEC’s final standings, the SEC championship game and perhaps even the College Football Playoff picture.