LSU VICE CHANCELLOR/AD JOE ALLEVA TRANSCRIPT

Re: Florida game postponement

Joe Alleva opening statement….
Thank you, Michael. Good afternoon, everyone. I know there’s a lot of speculation about scheduling of this Florida football game. I’ve been in contact with Commissioner Sankey over the weekend, and what I said the other day about this being very difficult to reschedule is still true. I think it’s very difficult. One thing that we’re going to hold very firm on is that we have a home game November 19th, and we’re going to have a home game on November 19th. We are going to have a home game on November 19th. We are not going change that situation. Other than that, I really don’t have much else to report to you. I just want to tell you that it’s a tough situation. It’s a very tough situation to reschedule this game, and we’ll have to see how it shakes out down the road. I’ll be happy to take a few questions if you want.

Q. — if I understand, if November 19th is off the table for LSU and Florida to play there, what are the options, what are the options you discussed with Commissioner Sankey?
JOE ALLEVA: You know, you’ve seen some of the options. We have an open date before the Alabama game. I’m not in favor of playing a game on that day, unless Alabama also plays a game on that day. There’s an option of December 3rd for the — when the conference championship game is. I don’t know if that’s going to be an option. Because there’s TV contracts and dome contracts. I just get back to what I said, that I think it’s going to be very difficult to reschedule this game.

Q. So, Joe, the money is more important than the potential if you do win out of scheduling Florida and making that game up?
JOE ALLEVA: It’s not about that. It’s the fact that our fans, and this city, deserve to have a home game on that day. We’re not going to give up a home game. Okay? That, and, you know what, if those scenarios play out, maybe there has to be other ways of looking who the division champions are, maybe only look at divisional play.

Q. But under the current rules, just to be sure, that having that home game for the fans is more important than a potential SEC West Championship, if it plays out that way?
JOE ALLEVA: If it plays out that way, we’re playing at home November 19th.

Q. Joe, has it been frustrating to watch the last few days and just wonder why you haven’t played, especially South Carolina and Georgia work together, they make it happen? You could be playing tonight, right?
JOE ALLEVA yeah. You know how I feel about that. We — I watched South Carolina play Georgia yesterday, and, yeah, I was wishing we were playing, too, somewhere, either here or there. I was wishing we were playing, no doubt.

Q. Is there still on the table, the game does not get played, and you kind of mentioned this, but throughout the whole discussion, did the 7-1 versus 6-1 — I know you just mentioned maybe just the west play would count? Kind of what has that dialogue been like?
JOE ALLEVA: None. There hasn’t been any dialogue. That was just me talking, that maybe we should only count divisional games. There’s been no discussion at all about it.

Q. Of the options on the table, would Florida coming here on the 19th, and then two years a row in Gainesville, is that one of the options being discussed?
JOE ALLEVA: No, it hasn’t been discussed. Thank you, all, appreciate it.