OU-Miami headed for October?

The OU-Miami football game scheduled for Sept. 12 has to move, as The Oklahoman told you a few days ago after the Miami Herald reported the conflict between the Hurricanes and baseball’s Florida Marlins. Both are scheduled to play in Dolphins Stadium that day.

The Marlins have priority over Miami U., so the ‘Canes have to scram in their new home. Miami U. is playing in Dolphins Stadium this season after decades of playing at the Orange Bowl.

Anyway, the most likely date of rescheduling is Oct. 3. Miami AD Kirby Hocutt, a former assistant athletic director at OU, told the Miami Herald his school might have to move a scheduled Oct. 3 game against Central Florida to make way for the Sooners.

OU has not set its non-conference schedule for 2009, but the Sooners do not play a Big 12 game on Oct. 3. In fact, OU doesn’t even play Texas the next week. The Sooners historically have played Texas the second Saturday in October, and the few times that changed, it moved to the first Saturday of October. But in 2009, OU-Texas is Oct. 17, which would be the earliest calendar meeting in the series since playing on Oct. 17, 1931.

OU athletic director Joe Castiglione jokingly suggested a few options for the dilemma, including moving the game to Norman (the Hurricanes already came to Owen Field for the first game of the contract), moving the game to Tampa or Orlando (fat chance; Miami needs this game for its season-ticket base) and moving the game to the historic Orange Bowl (no chance, the venerable stadium was torn down).

A baseball-football doubleheader apparently isn’t being considered, although the Sooners have been involved one before. In 1985, OU played Minnesota at the Metrodome on a Saturday night. The Twins played a baseball game that day at noon.

One benefit to moving the game: Oct. 3 is out of the heart of hurricane system. Sept. 12 is right in the middle.