The start of college football in the 757 has been pushed back a day.



Hampton University at Old Dominion and Kean University at Christopher Newport, originally set for Saturday, have been rescheduled to Sunday. HU-ODU will kick at 3:30 p.m. at Ballard Stadium. Kean-CNU is set to start at 1 p.m. at Pomoco Stadium.



School officials decided to make the switches based on the forecast, which calls for heavy rain all day Saturday from the effects of Tropical Storm Hermine. ODU made its announcement Friday just after 10 a.m. CNU did the same at about 12:30 p.m.



Likewise, Norfolk State's opener against Elizabeth City State has been moved to 6 p.m. Sunday at Dick Price Stadium.



CNU athletic director Kyle McMullin said it was an easy decision given the near-certainty of inclement weather.



"It's very clear there's going to be a heck of a lot of rain and a whole lot of wind," he said. "While there's a chance it might not be as bleak as they say, when you've got the ability to make a responsible decision ahead of time and avoid it entirely, why wouldn't we?



"Kean's been very good to work with on this, and I don't think they want to put themselves in a (bad) position. These storms are fickle. It could be worse than what they're telling us, too."



Unlike Ballard, Pomoco has a natural-grass surface that could be problematic Sunday.



"I'm guessing it's going to be wet and sloppy," McMullin said. "If we get the 6 to 10 inches of rain that we're told we're going to get, it's going to be wet still. But we haven't had any rain for the last month. You know the soil around here, it's so sandy that it's going to absorb a lot of it."



Kimberly DeRitter, Kean's sports information director, said the Cougars left Union, N.J., Friday morning by bus to Newport News. She said the team was able to secure hotel rooms for Saturday night.



ODU athletic director Wood Selig said Norfolk's history of flooding was a big reason for the switch.



"The safety of our fans is our No. 1 priority," he said. "We're not only concerned with the rain and wind, but also how potential flooding could affect getting to and from campus as well as parking and tailgating. With this being a holiday weekend, a move to Sunday should have less of an impact."



By playing Sunday, all four teams involved will have short weeks in preparing for their next games. But ODU coach Bobby Wilder, whose team visits Appalachian State on Sept. 10, understands the reason.



"I agree 100 percent with the decision to postpone the game," he said. "The safety of everybody in our area is the most important factor."