Penn State’s season opener against UCF, scheduled for Aug. 30 in Ireland, may not happen because of a possible volcanic eruption in Iceland.
The two teams are set to open up their 2014 campaigns in Dublin’s Croke Park, which is normally used to host Gaelic Athletic Association games. However, there have been thousands of small earthquakes in Bardarbunga recently, which has resulted in 500 people being evacuated, reports the AP .
After the Eyjafjallajokul volcano erupted in 2010, 100,000 flights to and from Europe were canceled. Ireland is 900 miles away from Iceland, but there would be so much ash in the area that air travel would be difficult.
If the teams are able to travel, it will be the fifth time a college football game will take place in Ireland. The first time was when Boston College defeated Army in 1988, and most recently Notre Dame beat Navy 50-10 in 2012.
Penn State will be playing their first game under head coach James Franklin, who considered staying with Vanderbilt, where he won 18 games with over the last two season, reports Bleacher Report.
UCF will be looking for a win in their first game of the post Blake Bortles era, who was the third overall pick in May’s NFL draft.