College football’s Week 1 was defined by weather chaos with lightning delays, rain stoppages, and record-setting heat that sent fans to medical tents. Now Week 2 brings six Alabama-based games under forecast watch, with meteorologist James Spann warning of scattered storms and oppressive heat.

Spann’s Saturday, September 12, 2026, forecast calls for random showers rather than a washout. Alabama at Kentucky and Auburn’s home opener should see temperatures in the 80s, while four afternoon games in Alabama project low-90s heat. None of the six games currently looks likely to be postponed, but conditions could test both players and fans.

No. 12 Alabama (1-0) visits Kentucky (1-0) in the first SEC game for both teams. Kickoff is 2:30 p.m. CT (3:30 p.m. ET) at Kroger Field in Lexington. The forecast calls for a high around 83–86°F with partly sunny skies and a 40–50% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly in the afternoon. 

Any storms are expected to pass rather than linger. Because Alabama’s game is earlier in the afternoon, the weather prediction leads into the other SEC game.

Auburn (1-0) hosts Southern Miss (1-0) in its home opener at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Kickoff is 6:45 p.m. CT. Temperatures should sit in the mid-to-upper 80s at kickoff and fall toward the low 80s by the end. Showers are likely, with a chance of thunderstorms, especially earlier in the afternoon, with about a 70% chance during the day. 

Unlike Auburn’s evening window, several Alabama-based teams will play during the hotter afternoon hours.

UAB (0-1 after an opening loss at Illinois) plays its home opener against Louisiana-Monroe at Protective Stadium in Birmingham. Kickoff is 2:30 p.m. CT. The high should reach the upper 80s to low 90s with a 60–70% chance of showers and thunderstorms, more likely in the afternoon. The heat index could push into the mid-90s. 

Troy (1-0 after beating Sam Houston) hosts Alabama State at Veterans Memorial Stadium at 3 p.m. CT. This is a non-conference game for the Sun Belt Trojans. The high looks to sit around 88–92°F with the same 60–70% afternoon shower and thunderstorm chance. The same pattern continues into the Division II and HBCU games later in the slate.

West Alabama (2-0) hosts Pittsburg State at Tiger Stadium in Livingston at noon CT. The high should reach around 88–90°F with a 60–70% chance of showers and thunderstorms. It will be hot and humid with dew points in the low-to-mid 70s. 

Miles (0-2) hosts Edward Waters at Sloan-Alumni Stadium in Fairfield at 2 p.m. CT for the Prince Hall Americanism Football Classic, a SIAC conference game. The high is in the upper 80s to low 90s, with a 60–70% chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms and high humidity with dew points in the low-to-mid 70s. No forecast suggests a likely postponement. 

What Week 1 already showed

Week 1’s biggest national weather story was a heat wave that set stadium records. South Carolina beat Kent State 57-0 at Williams-Brice Stadium in the hottest game in stadium history. 95° air temperature and a 106–110° heat index. The fourth quarter was shortened to 10 minutes. 

Alabama beat East Carolina 48-10 in the hottest game in Bryant-Denny Stadium history. The heat index reached 108–116°F. Alabama used 30,000 pounds of ice. Fans were treated, and some were removed on stretchers. 

Georgia’s home game against Tennessee State kicked off at 100°, the hottest home game in program history. Texas, Tulsa, Arkansas, Nebraska, and Iowa also saw heat indexes over 100°F. Arkansas kept its live mascot Tusk VII off the field. A Tulsa radio crew recorded 161° on the field surface. 

Kalen DeBoer spoke after Alabama’s Week 1 win over East Carolina on September 5.

“Our scrimmage was considerably warmer than what it was today, probably at least three to five degrees, and we got some cloud cover too. It didn’t really feel like that was an issue at all,” DeBoer said. “I think our guys trained in it all summer long. It was a hot fall camp, and I think they did a good job all week long preparing with the hydration and the things they needed to do to go out there. Any execution errors are part of something else, not fatigue or anything like that.”

The most serious heat outcome was not a delayed kickoff. Iowa Hawkeye Marching Band mellophone section leader Derek Phillips collapsed in the heat before a canceled halftime show. He suffered cardiac arrest and died on September 8. Temperatures were in the low 90s with a heat index over 100. 

At Texas versus Texas State, EMS transported 13 people from the stadium. At least three cases were confirmed heat-related. Fans reported stretchers in the stands in the first quarter. A child near one group of fans was described as having heat stroke.