Like many college football fans, I just watched the big reveal. In 2024, there are a couple of new “wrinkles” to the college football playoffs. They feature twelve teams and some schools hosting games on their campuses. In the aftermath of the selection hoopla, there is the usual banter about seedings, rankings or who got left out. One thing that caught my eye is three of the four games in the opening week will be played outdoors in colder climates.
One of the best features of the new playoff system is that higher-seeded teams in the first round get to host games. Subsequent games will be incorporated into the traditional upper-tier bowls, which are typically held in warmer climates or in domed stadiums. Looking at the current brackets, first round games will be played in South Bend (Indiana), State College (Pennsylvania), Columbus (Ohio), and Austin (Texas).
The games will be played during the weekend of December 20th and 21st. Ironically, the winter solstice happens at 4:21 am on December 21st. As a reminder, the winter solstice marks the time of year with the shortest duration of daylight. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Earth is tilting away from the Sun, which is why winter is a cooler season.
As context, here are the climatological temperature conditions for December at each location according to The Weather Channel website:
- South Bend, Indiana – High 36°, Low 23°
- State College, Pennsylvania – High 38°, Low 26°
- Columbus, Ohio – High 42°, Low 27°
- Austin, Texas – High 64°, Low 43°
The map above shows the probability of at least one inch of snow on the ground for Christmas Day. These games are being played a few days before Christmas. Based on climatology, three of the locations have some probability greater than zero of snow at this time of the year. We are a couple of weeks out from the games, so forecasts should be taken with a grain of salt until within a seven-to-ten-day period. However, I peeked at some of the long-range forecasts for entertainment purposes only. The range of climatological temperature values seems likely. It is too early for definitive thinking on snow or other precipitation.
As a football fan, it will be interesting to see how the weather affects the game or opposing teams from warmer climates (SMU and Tennessee). Some fans describe such conditions perfect “football weather.” Others despise it. Either way, it will be intriguing to see college football played outside as the winter season begins.
