Memphis football is scheduled to play South Florida this weekend — just not at the same time or place the teams originally expected.

The game was rescheduled on Tuesday from Friday night to Saturday afternoon because of Hurricane Milton, which made landfall late Wednesday and caused major flooding and widespread power outages throughout the Tampa area. On Thursday, the American Athletic Conference moved the game from Tampa to Camping World Stadium in Orlando. Kickoff is 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+.

It will be a unique situation for both teams. The Tigers (4-1, 0-1 American Athletic Conference) and Bulls (2-3, 0-1) had both altered their practice schedules because of the Friday game. South Florida relocated to Orlando on Tuesday because of the imminent threat of Milton.

It's a critical conference game. Both teams entered the season with legitimate belief that they could win the AAC, but the loser of this game is almost certainly eliminated from conference title game contention. Memphis would likely have no shot at the College Football Playoff with a loss.

Memphis and South Florida playing under unique circumstances

This has to be the precursor to any discussion about the game. South Florida will be the home team and has been in Orlando for most of the week, but the week hasn't been normal in any sense of the word. Much of Tampa, including the area around South Florida's campus, was battered with rain and wind on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.

The rescheduled game is also likely to have a muted atmosphere at the 60,219-capacity stadium in Orlando.

Will Byrum Brown play?

Other than the status of the game, this has been the major talking point throughout the week. Brown, South Florida's star quarterback, has had an up-and-down start to the season and was injured in the Bulls' loss to Tulane two weeks ago.

South Florida coach Alex Golesh said Tuesday that Brown was "day-to-day" and said he could play Saturday, adding that the extra day to prepare would probably help.

Brown is a dynamic dual-threat quarterback who routinely racks up double-digit carries. He has thrown for 836 yards and rushed for 269 yards this season. Memphis fans know Brown well — in last year's 59-50 shootout win for the Tigers in Memphis, he threw for 357 yards and five touchdowns, and rushed for 100 yards.

"Whoever lines up at quarterback for them is going to play fast," Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield said. "We're going to study all their quarterbacks, regardless, like we do any time. But whoever they throw out there, I assume they're still going to run their normal offense."

Both teams need a win to stay in the conference title race

Memphis began this season with College Football Playoff expectations, but a loss to Navy in the first conference game of the season put a serious damper on those hopes and meant the Tigers lost control of their own destiny.

They'll still need help, but it's clear that Memphis will have to win its next seven games to have a shot at the conference title game and the playoff. That means a win against the Bulls is a need, not just a want.

Both Memphis and South Florida are coming off open weeks. The Bulls lost badly, 45-10, against Tulane two weeks ago. The Tigers, meanwhile, are coming off a 24-7 win over Middle Tennessee.

Memphis vs South Florida score prediction

Memphis 42, South Florida 31. It's a semi-shootout, but not quite to the level of last year's 59-50 affair. In a weird game, Memphis has enough offense to outlast the Bulls.

Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis football vs USF: Score prediction, scouting report