Is the Sugar Bowl postponed? Exploring possible shift in scheduling in Georgia-Notre Dame game due to unforeseen circumstances

The Sugar Bowl was scheduled to take place on Wednesday at 8:45 p.m. ET. It is a game that will double as a second-round matchup in the College Football Playoff between the No. 2-ranked Georgia Bulldogs and No. 5-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The game was set to take place in New Orleans.

However, a tragic and unforeseen event took place in the early hours of Wednesday. A car was driven down Bourbon Street and directly into a large crowd of people. The driver appeared to be trying to hit as many people as possible. As a result, the police are treating it like a terrorist act rather than a DUI incident.

As a result of the tragedy, at least 10 people are confirmed dead, and 35 more are injured. The FBI is now involved in the investigation. As a result of the tragedy, WDSU's Fletcher Mackel reported that the Sugar Bowl will be postponed until Thursday.

"Breaking. Due to tragic situation in New Orleans the 91st Sugar Bowl which is a college football playoff matchup between Georgia and Notre Dame will be moved from Wednesday to Thursday at 7:45 p.m," Mackel wrote on X.

The Sugar Bowl committee releases a statement about the tragedy and schedule change

A scheduling change this close to a high-profile bowl game is nearly unprecedented. However, given the circumstances of the event, it is not entirely surprising to see the game moved. Jeff Hundley, the chief executive officer of the bowl, released a statement:

"The Sugar Bowl Committee is devastated by the terrible events from early this morning. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. We are in ongoing discussions with authorities on the local, state, and federal levels and will communicate further details as they become available."

While there has been no official change to the schedule announced by the Sugar Bowl or the NCAA, several reports indicate that the game will move to Thursday. If the game takes place on Thursday, it will become the last game of the second round of the College Football Playoff to take place.

The winner of the game will advance to the semifinals, where they will play in the Orange Bowl against Penn State. The Nittany Lions defeated Boise State 31-14 on Tuesday in the Fiesta Bowl to advance.