Florida Atlantic (2-5, 0-3 AAC) is hosting the University of South Florida Bulls (3-4, 1-2 AAC) on Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. School officials are anticipating a large crowd to be in attendance at the long-awaited homecoming game, so they are closing the Boca Raton campus at 2 p.m. on game day.

On the morning of Oct. 3, FAU sent out a mass email to both faculty and students, saying that all offices on campus would close in preparation for the expected traffic congestion surrounding the game. The other FAU campuses remain under normal operations.

For students, they must communicate with their professor for class arrangements for the day. All parking lots need to be cleared after 2 p.m. on Nov. 1. as most are being reserved for game-day parking passes.

“It was a university decision. One that has been made previously when football games occurred on weekday nights,” said Michael DeGeorge, the deputy athletic brand and communications director. 

DeGeorge said that it’s a common practice at FAU to cancel classes for a Friday football game in order to ensure the safety of those attending.

In addition to offices and classes being closed, FAU’s Recreation and Fitness Center will be closing at 3 p.m. on Nov. 1 for the game. They sent out a notification through their FAU Rec mobile app on Oct. 11 about the changes. 

The combination of homecoming events and the excitement surrounding the game is why they’re expecting a large attendance. Florida Atlantic is trying to ease the flow of traffic to provide a smooth transition from classes to football festivities. 

FAU played USF in Tampa, Fla. last year and won 56-14.

Kariana Aponte is a contributing writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories email her at kaponte2024@fau.edu.