Gustav Evacuees Prompt LSU To Bump Kickoff Up To 11 AM ET

For those of you that thought our first college football Saturday couldn't start soon enough, you're in luck. That is, unless you live near the Gulf Coast, in which case you're probably running for your life from Hurricane Gustav. The Class 3 hurricane is expected to hit the Gulf Coast sometime Monday. The state of Louisiana has already declared a state of emergency, and with LSU hosting defending FCS champion Appalachian State, the Baton Rouge school has bumped up their kickoff to 11 am Eastern to help accommodate the evacuation.

The game, which originally was scheduled to be on ESPN, now will be aired on ESPN Classic and also shown on ESPN360.com. Spokesman Charles Zewe said the switch was required because of concerns over traffic, as evacuees are expected to be heading north through Baton Rouge. All pregame activities already have been canceled, including those at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, which is being readied as a possible evacuation site.

This is pretty unfortunate for an area still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. But for the rest of us, this 11 AM kick is just license to start drinking immediately. Hurricane Gustav Intensifies On Its Path To Cuba [CNN.com] LSU-Appalachian St. game time moved up 6 hours because of Gustav [ESPN.com]