ESPN announced on Wednesday that the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl between the Duke Blue Devils and Ole Miss Rebels would be delayed a half-hour to 8:05 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday evening amid College Football Playoff rescheduling.
The game was originally slated for 7:30 p.m., but it will now take place after the delayed Allstate Sugar Bowl between the Georgia Bulldogs and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
The national quarterfinal was originally scheduled for Wednesday night in New Orleans, but organizers pushed it back to Thursday afternoon after a tragic attack in the city on New Year’s Day. A man drove his truck into a crowd gathered to celebrate on Bourbon Street, killing 15 people within a mile of the Caesars Superdome.
“All parties all agree that it’s in the best interest of everybody and public safety that we postpone the game,” Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said at a Wednesday media briefing.
Georgia and Notre Dame will now play at 4:00 p.m. on ESPN, and Duke’s game against the Rebels will be broadcast on the same channel afterward.