UCF: Moving Ireland game to Orlando over volcano scare 'unlikely'

Could a volcano near the Arctic Circle put the UCF Football's season opener on ice? BHSN's Jeff Radcliffe has more on a possible scenario that has Knights fans worried.

College football games have been postponed or cancelled for all sorts of reasons related to Mother Nature. Lightning, hurricanes and even heavy rain have all spoiled the party the over the last 20 seasons.

But if you had a nickel for every time a volcanic eruption halted a game — you wouldn't have any nickels.

That might change. The University of Central Florida is scheduled to open the season against Penn State in Dublin, Ireland, on Saturday, Aug. 30.

There are no active volcanoes in Ireland, but there are over 40 on Iceland, which is just 800 miles northeast of the Emerald Isle. Increasing earthquake activity has led the Icelandic government to raise the threat level of an eruption of the volcano Bárðarbunga in the coming weeks.

It's not that an eruption would pose a danger to the football venue; it's the atmospheric volcanic ash that could ground flights around the region.

This happened as recently as 2010, when the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull grounded over 100,000 flights around Europe. If Bárðarbunga erupts in the next week, the Knights and Nittany Lions would very likely have no way to travel to Ireland — or, depending on the timing, back home.

UCF has told BHSN that contingency plans are in place. Could that mean postponing or cancelling the game? Not sure.

There are multiple local media reports claiming that because this is officially a UCF home game, the contest could be played at Bright House Stadium, but that, according to UCF's athletic department, is "highly unlikely" due to a number of factors, including stadium sprinkler renovations, along with the logistical problems of changing flights and working out ticket sales on short notice.

Remember: There is a good chance the game in Ireland isn't affected at all, even if the volcano does blow its top. The eruption may not be big enough, or winds could send the resulting ash cloud in a different direction.

The university said it will be ready for whatever happens. While that certainly doesn't make UCF fans who have made expensive travel plans feel any better, at least everyone will be safe if a volcano does erupt.