This is going to be a first-hand impact of nature on games. A huge problem lies ahead for certain teams in the first playoff round, as the games will be held on campus based on the seedings. But luckily for Curt Cignetti and Indiana, who secured the No. 10 spot in the final playoff seeding, they just evaded this natural setback. However, Rhett Lashlee and Josh Heupel aren’t so lucky in this area. 

CFB analyst David Pollack broke down the impact of weather on the playoff games for different teams on David Pollack College Football on December 9. He said, “The weather though for Penn State-SMU is not fun. SMU is in Texas. It is beautiful all the time. It is gorgeous so going there like Indiana-Notre Dame doesn’t matter. They live in the same state, practice in the same conditions, that’s not a big deal. SMU going to Penn State is and Tennessee going to Ohio State is a big deal.”

As per this year’s 12-team playoff format, the top 4 seeds will get a first-round bye. Meanwhile, the No. 5-12 seeds will compete in the first round. The four higher seeded teams will host the last four seeds. For instance, No. 5 Texas will host No. 12 Clemson, No. 6 Penn State will host No. 11 SMU, No. 7 Notre Dame will host No. 10 Indiana, while No. 9 Tennessee will travel north to face No. 8 Ohio State. 

This isn’t the first time Pollack raised this home-field advantage that will be impacted by the weather. He said, “It really does now with home-field advantage because, remember, northern teams have to come south, and southern teams have to come north, and that is a big deal.” Both Notre Dame and Indiana are from the same state, so as Pollack observed, it’s not a big deal. But for teams from the south traveling up north, the question here is—can they adapt to the cold north weather? 

Harsh weather conditions await SMU and Tennessee 

Now, SMU travels to Penn State, and Tennessee to Ohio State. So these southern teams will be playing in much colder climates, which could impact their performance. As former legendary CFB coach Nick Saban said, “The weather impacts the game when it’s cold. The [football] is harder to throw, catch and hold onto.” And the fact that the first playoff round is set around the coldest time of the year doesn’t help the Mustangs and the Volunteers. 

These games are to happen between December 20-21, the time when the earth will be experiencing a winter solstice. Per The Weather Channel, temperatures are projected to likely drop to as low as 26° and 27° in Pennsylvania and Columbus, respectively. But it’s all about preparation, right? 

Nick Saban used to prevent his football handlers and carriers from wearing sleeves while playing in cold weather. We wonder how SMU and Tennessee will prepare themselves as they get ready for their white winter pre-Christmas showdown.