College football athletes are resilient warriors, and teams will battle through nearly any conditions imaginable. However, occasionally Mother Nature intervenes and declares that the day simply isn’t suitable for gridiron competition. The latest example of this occurred during TCU-Cincinnati on Saturday, Nov. 29.
When severe weather refuses to cooperate and forces game interruptions, what exactly unfolds during these extended college football weather delays?
What Can Cause a College Football Weather Delay?
Weather impacts college football games in a variety of ways, but it doesn’t usually stop a game while it’s being played. Every once in a while, though, the conditions are dangerous enough to stop a game that has already started.
Usually, that’s because of lightning. Teams will play through all sorts of bad rain, wind, snow, and even hail, but if there’s lightning, the teams run for cover.
Under the current weather delay regulations, teams must wait 30 continuous minutes after the last lightning strike within an 8-10-mile radius before returning to play. If a lightning strike occurs during any 30-minute period, the clock starts again.
They won’t cover the field like you see in a baseball game, but teams and fans will be forced to evacuate.
If the weather delay is long enough, the players will be granted a brief warm-up period after the conclusion of the delay before the game is resumed from its previous spot.
The longest weather delay in college football history was eight hours and 35 minutes during a matchup between Virginia Tech and Purdue. However, there have been other lengthy delays, such as TCU vs. Kansas State in 2017 and East Carolina vs. Houston in 2021.
What Happens if a College Game Is Canceled Due to Weather?
There is plenty of precedent for college football games being canceled due to weather, but these are typically non-conference games canceled well ahead of time.
For example, if a hurricane is expected to impact a game or travel, the teams will work to reschedule it. Non-conference games are typically deemed less important to the outcome of an entire season and are often ignored if it’s too difficult to reschedule.
Conference games are a different beast. Canceling a conference game can often have a widespread impact on the season’s results, causing issues with fair championship outcomes. As a result, teams often work to reschedule or move the game.
MORE: How Long Is A College Football Game?
If weather delays a game already in progress, though, things can be tricky. Teams typically want to do everything they can to complete the game, even if that means waiting hours to finish.
If the delay lasts too long, however, teams, coaches, and athletic directors will get together to discuss next steps.
Sometimes, the weather delay is early enough in the game to justify just canceling it and throwing out the result. If the delay occurs later in the game, and that game is trending towards a particular outcome, it can be called a win for one team.
But this is college football, and both teams almost always want to compete, so the teams will probably wind up waiting it out.
Week 14 College Football Predictions
Using the PFSN College Football Playoff Predictor, we predicted every Week 14 game ahead of a packed final Saturday of games! Let’s look at what our model predicts will happen in the remaining Week 14 games:
Florida State vs. Florida Prediction
- Prediction: Florida State 24, Florida 30
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 29, 4:30 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: ESPN2
Oregon State vs. Washington State Prediction
- Prediction: Oregon State 10, Washington State 27
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 29, 6:30 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: The CW Network
Virginia Tech vs. Virginia Prediction
- Prediction: Virginia Tech 10, Virginia 30
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 29, 7:00 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: ESPN
Maryland vs. Michigan State Prediction
- Prediction: Maryland 17, Michigan State 31
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 29, 7:00 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: FS1
Rice vs. South Florida Prediction
- Prediction: Rice 21, South Florida 35
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 29, 7:00 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: ESPN+
Alabama vs. Auburn Prediction
- Prediction: Alabama 40, Auburn 20
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 29, 7:30 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: ABC
UCLA vs. USC Prediction
- Prediction: UCLA 14, USC 31
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 29, 7:30 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: NBC
Northwestern vs. Illinois Prediction
- Prediction: Northwestern 27, Illinois 17
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 29, 7:30 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: FOX
Charlotte vs. Tulane Prediction
- Prediction: Charlotte 27, Tulane 37
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 29, 7:30 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: ESPNU
North Carolina vs. NC State Prediction
- Prediction: North Carolina 14, NC State 30
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 29, 7:30 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: ACC Network
SMU vs. California Prediction
- Prediction: SMU 33, California 21
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 29, 8:00 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: ESPN2
UNLV vs. Nevada Prediction
- Prediction: UNLV 33, Nevada 14
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 29, 9:00 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: CBSSN
Notre Dame vs. Stanford Prediction
- Prediction: Notre Dame 31, Stanford 17
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 29, 10:30 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: ESPN
Fresno State vs. San José State Prediction
- Prediction: Fresno State 17, San Jose State 24
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 29, 10:30 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: FS1
Wyoming vs. Hawai’i Prediction
- Prediction: Wyoming 21, Hawaii 37
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 29, 11:00 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: Mountain West Network/Spectrum Sports