Sugar Bowl postponed to 4 p.m. EST Thursday, will still be televised on ESPN

5:27 p.m. EST UPDATE: The Sugar Bowl will now be played at 4:00 p.m. EST on Thursday. The game will still be televised on ESPN.

4:10 p.m. EST UPDATE: Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune reported that a 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. local start time is expected.

“The kickoff of the @SugarBowlNola is expected to be moved to 3 p.m. on Thursday, sources said Wednesday. An official announcement is expected sometime this afternoon.”

Pete Thamel of ESPN reported that, “Per ESPN sources, the Sugar Bowl will kick off tomorrow at 4 pm Eastern.”

[Ross Dellenger on X]

ORIGINAL: In the aftermath of the attack in New Orleans early Wednesday morning, the Sugar Bowl was moved back a day — from Wednesday to Thursday. But when the game will be played on Thursday is still a matter of debate. And according to reports, both teams are among the parties that seem to prefer an earlier start time.

The game was originally scheduled for an 8:45 Eastern/7:45 local start on Wednesday, Jan. 1. When the decision to postpone the game to Thursday, Jan. 2 was officially announced, Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said, “We have been in consultation with ESPN, with the College Football Playoff, with the Southeastern Conference, with the University of Georgia, with Notre Dame — “All parties and all agree that it’s in the best in the best interest of everybody and public safety that we postpone the game for 24 hours.”

Later on Thursday, Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports shared (via X/formerly Twitter) that both teams, as well as the College Football Playoff bosses, would prefer an earlier start time.

Both Notre Dame, Georgia, and CFP officials have made requests to local New Orleans authorities to have the Sugar Bowl kickoff time Thursday be moved earlier in the day,” Dellenger reported. “There continues to be active discussion on the time, which is likely determined by local authorities + ESPN.”