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Update:
Florida wants to cover all of its bases just in case it has a really good season, based on this nugget of information from Idaho AD Rob Spear. If this is the case, the make-up date for the game would have to be some time in the next week after Dec. 6 and preferably before bowl season starts.
He's not optimistic that the Dec. 6 date will work, as it coincides with the SEC championship game.
— Theo Lawson (@TheoLawson_Trib) September 2, 2014
Original story:
What was supposed to be Idaho's first game of the season could now be its last.
Idaho's season opener at Florida on Aug. 30 was called off because of multiple lightning delays and unsafe playing conditions. Many questions remained, chief among them if Idaho was going to get its $975,000 check and if the game was going to be played at all.
Paul Petrino answered some of those questions on his Sun Belt Conference call on Monday.
Petrino: "We just talked after the game about possibly playing December. I think that's what I would be for."
— John Blanchette (@JPBlanchette) September 1, 2014
The logical date would be Dec. 6. The only issue for Florida would be that's the date of the SEC Championship game. Of course, given its lack of success last season and the quality of Georgia and South Carolina it's not very likely that Florida would end up winning the SEC East.
In fact, given the difficulty of its schedule, Idaho is a game Florida may need to attain bowl eligibility.
Both have an open date on Oct. 25, but both teams have a desire to keep the bye week.
Idaho AD Rob Spear said there's "not a lot of interest" from either side in playing a UI-Florida game on their common open date of Oct. 25.
— John Blanchette (@JPBlanchette) September 1, 2014
The Oct. 25 date would come before critical games for both teams; Florida hosts Georgia the next week, Idaho hosts Sun Belt title contender Arkansas State.
Dec. 6 would come after Idaho's trip to Appalachian State and Florida's trip to Florida State.
The schools could agree to Dec. 6 as a conditional date, with the game being cancelled should Florida make the SEC Championship game.
Oregon State and Nicholls State made a similar agreement in 2012, when Hurricane Isaac prevented the Colonels from flying to Corvallis for a season opener. The two schools made the game up in December, however the game wouldn't have been played had the Beavers made the Pac-12 Championship game or the Colonels had made the FCS Playoffs.