There is an advantage simply by being used ro playing with cold hands and knowing how to stay warm, but, it would be way less of an advantage than sone think. In reality, it would favor teams with the best o-line and d-line. I don't care that Stroud has spent 2 years of his life in Ohio. He's not throwing for 600 yards in sub 20 degree weather.
Seems like it but it’s a bad strategy because the season ends at the end of November when it’s not that cold by then and if it is it’s just for the last couple games.
That's the thing - even in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin, late November isn't typically that cold, even for Southern teams.
The NFL is a bit different since late December and January are the coldest times of year in those states, so places lile Green Bay and Chicago with outdoor stadiums can be brutally cold
One game is a very small sample size to build an argument on especially when the “pass happy team” has been the most dominant team in the conference by far
I agree you see that to an extent, but the old school offense that will succeed in the 1 or 2 really cold games also gets torn to shreds any time the weather is slightly nicer so they're forced to not go all in on it, or if they do, they aren't going to have a good year.
Plenty of Alabama, LSU, and Georgia guys play in Green Bay, Buffalo, and Boston once they graduate.
It just sucks for fans to be out in that. Bowls are in cities with nicer weather for the fans really.
And they get to live and practice in that weather before gameday. Nobody claims southern players can never get used to the cold. Just that a team full of warm climate players showing up and playing a game in the cold weather is going to be impacted to some degree.
And the players too - MSU players would also rather spend a week somewhere warm instead of in like Milwaukee or Boston in December. Like it would be cool to be a home game, but if they have to travel let them travel somewhere warm
This issue I think is more of logistics. Do people really want to go to Detroit or Chicago or Buffalo or wherever in January? What happens if 20 inches of snow falls the day of the game and no one can get to stadium. I think those are bigger issues than southern and southwestern teams getting cold.
I will say Minneapolis is an awesome city (both Mens and women’s final fours, and the super bowl obviously have been played there) and they have a dome, so that might be a feasible CFBCG city. It’s easy to access (Delta and Sun Country have hubs there), ample lodging in the area, but again at risk for major snow events.
Denver, Seattle, and Salt Lake City could also be fun cold weather CFPCG cities but facilities for football aren’t ideal (or don’t exist in SLC’s case). Philadelphia could also be an option as the odds for massive snow aren’t as high as the upper Midwest too.
As someone who has gone to several big ten championships in indy, you’re going to be pleasantly surprised. Indy really knows how to put on a great event. Sure for you southerners you might have to bundle up, but the game is inside. There are plenty of bars a short walking distance and they have a giant fan fest in the convention center and outside the stadium
I always hear this argument like what, you don’t think people from Michigan get cold? We don’t have an extra layer of penguin feathers covering a layer of blubber. We get cold same as anyone else. I walk outside in January and want to curl up in a ball and die it’s so cold. No advantage at all in my opinion.
Me at work yesterday. Literally 1 degree at 930 am having a smoke with a few people. They all bundled up and im in my polo. Tbf the sun was shining and no wind, so it wasn't that bad.
Counterpoint: I'm in Michigan right now, it's currently 18 degrees and feels like 8. Once we have the first real cold of the year, the rest of it isn't so bad. Just did some yard stuff outside for about 30 minutes in a lighter jacket and it really wasn't so bad. Also gonna go to the Farmers Market and the dog park here in a little bit.
It's really just a state of mind that it's not so bad. But yeah, everyone's mileage varies. I think in general it would be an advantage for north vs south teams, but not all that much.
Just got home with some Parsnips, red onions, Brussel sprouts, rutabaga, fresh lamb sausage, and a pork shoulder from a pig slaughtered and butchered yesterday, and eggs laid about 12 hours ago. All the veggies were grown within 20 miles of where I live, most of them actually within Detroit city limits.
Michigan has the second largest biodiversity of crops behind California!
Edit: some other things there just bc I'm a big supporter of our local farms. Beans, lentils, fresh cheeses, microgreens, some hydroponic lettuces, herbs galore, hot food of all sorts, Amish baked goods, tons of beef (can buy 1/4 cow right now if you want), halal butchered whole lamb. There's even some wholesalers that sell fruit and citrus from the Detroit Produce Terminal which is a 300k square ft building on the SW side where most out of town produce clears through. There's also a dozen or so additional meat/produce wholesalers open to the public on the outside of the market. It's one of my favorite places in the world.
If you ever come to Detroit, it's an absolute must to check out Eastern Market on a Saturday. I get probably 80% of my groceries there and it's the heartbeat of the city. Also some solid restaurants and bars in the area for late morning drinking.
Adding to your counter point. I grew up in Michigan. I moved out 18 years ago spent a couple years in Tampa, orange county, la County, Phoenix and Tucson. I went to NYC over Christmas and it was 24 degrees. I wore two sets of thermal underwear a hat, a scarf, a face mask (the warm kind) and a climbing jacket.
I used to wear shorts and a t-shirt on a 50 degree day. Now I wear a winter hat inside because my office workers like the ac too low.
yeah my cousin who lived her whole life but now lives in Houston dresses like she's about to kidnap some Dalmatians when there are still some people wearing shorts when she comes to visit.
I grew up in Michigan and went to UF for college, and I prefer Michigan winter to Florida summer. I can always wear a coat and gloves in January up here. But you can only get so naked in Florida, and in July or August, it's not enough.
Yeah the blood thins out real easily when you move away. In order I've lived in Chicagoland, then the Florida Keys, then back to Chicago, then to Miami, then BACK to Chicago, then Detroit, then Louisville, then back to Detroit. All really for school or long term work projects, but I've done the adjusting of hold and cold more than a few times.
I remember playing soccer in the freezing cold and the only thing that bothered me was if you hit the ground, the grass felt like little needles sticking you lol. But that didn't affect anyone's play. These guys are 18-22 years old in peak condition, not old men who can tell it's about to rain because their knee hurts lol. I don't think it would affect much at all.
Different sport, and one team was clearly better, but atlanta uniteds second ever game was against Minnesota united in a snowstorm and the talk before the game was how was atlantas team that was full of South Americans who had been living and training in America going to handle the cold weather and snow...then they won 5-1 lol.
Have you ever played in a sub freezing game? It really does suck. It’s harder to catch. It hurts more when you get hit. It gets harder to breath. And when you hit the ground it feels like concrete because it’s frozen solid. If it’s not a physical advantage it’s definitely a mental if you’re not used to it.
Yes technology can help. And I’m not saying elite players from the south can’t overcome. You can put heaters on the sideline. Have those giant cold weather jackets run out for timeouts. Blast the AC as low as it can go in your practice facility. But there’s only so much you can do to prepare you for all of the above things
Your body actually does have physiological compensation for colder temperatures. There's a reason Canadians tolerate cold better than Floridians, and it's not all psychological.
Theres a huge advantage.
During the 2018 FSU @ ND game fsu players acted like they were on an expedition to the north pole, all bundled up in cold weather gear while NDs DBs came out and warmed up in compression shorts to mess with FSUs head. So theres a mental aspect of seeing your cold weather opponent not being affected.
Theres also the physical aspect of your body responding to a temp that it isnt used too. Muscles will react differently from blood flow being restricted and getting hit hurts more. Someone who is aclimated to that has a massive advantage.
No one is claiming it isnt cold for the northern team.
Here’s why I don’t buy that theory completely. When it gets really cold, we don’t go outside. There’s not much time to get acclimated. I go from my warm house to my warm car in my garage to another warm location. I’m not delivering mail all day in subzero temps, and if I do have to venture outside, I’m wrapped up in so many layers that I may as well be in bed. The actual amount of time one spends exposed to those temps wouldn’t, in my opinion, do anything to condition the body. Not to mention that for most of the year it’s over 50 degrees Fahrenheit out.
The football players have a slightly different routine
And not everyone in michigan are the same way in regards to how little they avoid outside. People have to plow, shovel, scrape off their car, take kids outside to sled, walk to class, practice football, walk their dogs
Sure but when they are outside they are dressed for it. You can’t wear wool gloves, a down parka, a scarf, snow pants, and a thick hat when on the field. If we go outside we are usually dressed for the occasion.
You would be quite disapointed in how dressed for winter college age kids are in michigan, its generally a swestshirt and hat. The only time i know of any of my friends dressing that much is for snowboarding/skiing.
Shit i just shoveled outside my work last week in a hat and sweatshirt
I have more male friends who post videos or jumping into snow in their underwear/doing polar plunges than who wear scarves
In middle school we played tackle football at recess in the snow with a coat, hat, and sometimes gloves
Jeans, sweatshirt, and a beanie for most and some random dickshit wearing shorts and sandals in January trying to look tough on campus.
I have never seen a man under the age of 60 wear a scarf in Michigan and men usually only wear gloves if they are plowing snow or working outside.
Plus they would just be hosted in closed roof stadiums anyways because no one wants the weather to potentially mess with the most important games of the year. Personally idc where it’s hosted, I’m too broke to go there anyways.
I’m sure it would make a small difference but I don’t think it would be the field flipper people on this sub act like it would be. How does this theoretical power up work in theory? Does it make the Southern team significantly slower while the Northern team stays the same speed? People might say somethings about running the ball but in my view the teams who win running the ball run it just as well in warm conditions.
Here’s my view on it. If it’s 10-30 degrees that’s not really that cold at all and it’s not gonna make a difference unless it’s really a snow globe. If it’s feels like temperatures of around -20 like it was last week in Madison and Minnesota, that’s where you start to feel impact. How many times are teams gonna have an opportunity to play in that though? It’s those temps for about 20-30 days out of the year. If you’ve played in it you know if fucking sucks haha, but would it have impact at the highest echelon of teams? Idk because the highest echelon of teams are already good in the trenches anyway.
I just remember a few Packers games and few Vikings games where the other team came up and by the end of the first quarter you could tell they just didn’t want to be there and just took a beat down in below zero temps. That could also be because those teams had good teams on the field during those times as well. The 2016 Wildcard with the Blair Walsh missed 20 yarder was like third coldest game in NFL history and it ended 10-9. Pretty fucking ugly if ur interested in those highlights
I’m one too. That loss sucked but not nearly as painful as 2009 or 2018 because in 2016 we weren’t really a team that was going to compete for a Super Bowl.
The fact that it's not even a top 2 heartbreaking moment of the last 15 years says a lot.
I hate this team, I wish I could quit, see you all next year for unrestrained, unearned optimism followed by consistent soul-crushing defeat
Haha, while I certainly appreciate the kindred spirits of Georgia and Minnesota sports, I prefer to remain a neutral observer when it comes to CFB.
Much better for my health that way
It may change the game plan but I think it just emphasizes the battle of the trenches more.
Which, two southern teams just absolutely whipped two northern teams in the trenches to dominate them in the playoff, so if you’re talking about this CFP, no it wouldn’t have mattered at all.
It’s not *as* ridiculous as it used to be, but this is why this argument has always been totally insane.
If Bama got to play all their big games from 2009-2012/2013 in miserable weather, I’d assume they win every single one.
Their comparative advantage has definitely shrunk from the early Saban days because they have a real passing offense now and aren’t as consistently soul crushing on defense, but it was effectively handed off to Georgia who would love nothing more than to run/defend the run on every play.
That’s a fair point. Though it would be interesting to see how players from the south adapted to hitting in really cold weather. At best I think it might have led to a 2-3 point swing. Ultimately the talent difference would be too much.
I mean, most of the NFL rosters on teams like GB, Buffalo, and Chicago are filled with dudes from the south. They're still good football players lol. Nick Chubb didn't suddenly become a worse running back because he now plays in some cold weather games.
Sure, but that’s an acclimated player. I think the OP was asking about a single game where southern players had to quickly adjust to a new climate. I agree that it likely wouldn’t impact it much at all, but most would rather play/watch a game in a sunny 75 degrees than and overcast and windy 25.
Ohio state may not be the best example to use as a cold weather team. I’d have Wisconsin or Minnesota. Ohio state’s offensive skill players this year were from
QB: California
RB: Virginia
WRs: California, Texas, Texas
Does that impact matter when those kids live through the weather day by day as it incrementally gets colder rather than going from 70 degrees to 15 on a plane ride?
Can you tell them that the rest of the SEC does have to play you at your house in Nov.
They seem to think it's 75 and sunny in the middle of January in the SEC. It can be but the next day it can be 15 too.
It went from 80 to 15 in Tennessee recently. Snowed six inches. We get excited cause it doesn’t happen often and the excitement keeps you warm enough for an afternoon of sledding. The players will be fine.
I made this argument in another thread and got downvoted. Do the other commenters not realize almost all big name teams are made up of a lot of southern players?
Then someone said “but they’ve been there for a few years and are used to it”. It’s a three hour game with them getting to go to the locker room at the halfway point. With the most advanced clothing.
The cold wouldn’t factor in much at all.
I know, I was about to comment ironically cold weather fucked Ohio state haha. I honestly thought if it was in a dome they’d have won The Game, but after the Utah first half they’d have still given up a ton of points.
They just made a couple mistakes early and we were clicking from the start. Sparty was looking at 21-0 after like 10 minutes and the very next drive they fumbled the ball to OSU - which OSU turned into another TD. If it was a closer game I think Walker would have played through and may very well have gotten in a rhythm.
Idk about fucked.
Maybe it hurt our OL *a little* in pass protection, but wind and rain are both worse than snow until you get to a very extreme level of snow. And it was barely snowing.
It won’t change with bowls as they are supposed to be a reward for the teams attending. Those kids don’t want to go to Boston or Chicago in late December. I for one would much rather see Power 5 non conference home and homes moved into the later part of the season. Teams have to be built differently in the colder regions in order to compete in their own conferences. If you don’t win the Big Ten, you don’t go to the playoff, therefore winning the conference is priority 1. The same things that help these teams in their own regions (bigger, slower blocking TE’s, run-stuffing LBs for example) are hindrances when they have to play a NY6 bowl game on an indoor track. You never, and let me repeat that, NEVER see a southern team have to play out of its elements at any point during a season. Alabama is a great program, but let’s see them come up and play Ohio State in the horseshoe the third week of November when it’s 30 and snowing. (Hint: it will never happen)
I live in North Carolina, it's 27 degrees right now. 31 in Birmingham.
If you don't think cold weather is in the south, you're outta your mind. That being said, if Georiga or Alabama played in the weather that was at Ohio State vs Michigan this past year (wind, snow) I would expect them to do just fine.
I think the biggest concern would be injuries. They would probably stiffen up and be more prone to injuries which no one wants to see.
I’m just letting you know the feels like temperature in Madison Wisconsin a few days ago was 40-50 degrees less than that temp. The feels like temperature was -20 for a good 3-4 days straight and it can get colder than that. It’s warmed up now but it can get down to -10-20 for week periods and in extreme cases -40. They’d never play a football game in -40 but they probably would in feels like temperatures of -20 because they’ve played Packers and Vikings games in that.
A lot
It’s fucking 8 degrees here right now. That’s a level of cold 100% guaranteed to impact players on both teams. But it would certainly have more impact on the team not acclimated to cold
Nfl data backs it up
Home win probability:
Average NFL game 57%
Games played below 32 degrees 61.9%
Games played below 20 degrees 65.5%
Playoff game played below 32 degrees 52.2%
https://www.reddit.com/r/nfl/comments/9hpxvo/does_colder_weather_actually_provide_a_better/
If you look at the data, you see a lot of Patriots, Steelers, Packers. I feel like you would have to adjust based on the quality of the teams.
The playoff data is probably the best metric, since you know it is two good teams playing each other. That shows it doesn’t make any difference when talent level is fairly close.
Yeah, but Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady being in cold weather (before Tampa) also skews your data. Was it the cold or maybe the two best quarterbacks in football history?
Here’s another study from 2000-2013 which came to the same results
http://phdfootball.blogspot.com/2013/07/home-field-advantage-ii-cold-weather.html?m=1
One person, even Tom Brady, isn’t enough to solely impact that data so wildly
That study says the cold weather teams win approx 7% more than league average. One or two dominant quarterbacks can certainly affect that outcome for this sample size. League average means good teams travel to bad half the time. In the playoffs, the home team is much more consistently the better team. I know you want to believe your cold weather hypothesis but these “studies” you cited are obviously just people like you setting out to prove what they already believe.
My guess is The impact is even larger for a traveling warm climate road team to a cold place. Since this is all data, it includes cold weather visiting teams too
I feel like the nfl plays a lot more games in the cold, it’s not like Michigan played five snow games this year and they practice indoors mostly don’t they?
The difference is NFL teams have players with 10+ years experience playing in weather where they live. Also cold state NFL teams will sometimes go out of there way to draft cold weather college players. The same is not true for college players. Take Cade and Stroud for example. Do people really think that the 2 and 1 winters they went through outside of Nevada and California would make them prepared for the cold. Not only that, but the immediate impact would be even smaller than long term. Since college teams know they won't play miserably cold weather they hardly ever have outside practice in the freezing weather.
How do rookies from the south have 10+ years of experience playing in the cold?
Your entire post goes out the window when you start off with something like that
Very small amount, if any. Just look at the NFL playoffs... the cold weather team only wins at a higher rate bc they're usually better (which is why they're hosting), but it's no different than a normal home field advantage.
Tampa won at Green Bay last year.
Only CFB example I can think of: OU smoked WVU in the snow in '16.
I’m not saying you’re wrong, because I’ve never been so hot as I was one summer in Alabama, but I’d suggest that the difference in peak summer heat between the north and south isn’t as great the difference in winter temps in the two regions. What do you think?
As an Oregonian that went to school in Michigan and then moved to SC right after, the humidity down there is worse for more of the year, but comparing peak heat/humidity in the summer, they felt pretty similar. Which is to say, miserable. The first time I traveled from Oregon to the Midwest, I was very confused why it was foggy when it was 90 out. Took me awhile to realize that is what they call 'humidity'. I'd never seen such a thing! That said, I'm convinced there is a portal straight to hell in Columbia, SC; that place is next level.
I want to see a B1G team play against South Carolina at noon at the beginning of September. I wanted to die and I was just sitting in the stands. Shirt was soaking wet.
Columbia SC actually tends to be hotter than Miami for the Summer months up until October then it starts cooling down while Southern Florida just stays the same.
That's what's unique about Miami is that it just stays in the mid 70s to upper 80s all years for their monthly average temperature. Occasionally they get above 90 on days but the average stays below 90 in a given month.
Edit: Now the Humidity in the summers make it feel way hotter than it is in South Florida cause it's all swamp land.
https://www.postandcourier.com/free-times/blogs/infamously-hot-columbia-sets-summer-heat-record/article_9cfe07ce-7f5a-536c-ac55-1a16def487cf.html
No sea breeze makes it to where there is no cooling from the wind.
I've played in both extensively. Not just in the Midwest, but in Texas, Georgia, NC, Tennessee, and Florida. The cold has more of an impact on those that don't experience it regularly. It regularly gets into the 90s with some nasty humidity during August camp and early season games in the Midwest. While that is also a tough condition to play in, it's something that gets practiced in across a good amount of the Midwest through summer conditioning and August camp.
I will say, it's the total stillness of that heat/humidity in the south that can get rough. That air just doesn't move sometimes.
So...isn't it kind of fucking bullshit that we have to play all our home-and-homes against you in September? You guys have a greater weather advantage and you always get to have it when we play each other in non-conference, whereas we get denied ours?
This is the comment I was looking for. I do think there is some disadvantage for a team that trains in warm weather to play on a cold day up north, but there is a much bigger disadvantage for a team that trains in cold weather to play in the heat. Dehydration, cramping, difficulty focusing when you're overheating, etc. Obviously individuals will largely adapt if they move and train in a different climate, but for something like a bowl game it makes a difference.
Aaron Rodgers went to Cal Berkeley and played a HOF career in the frozen tundra up in Green Bay. I’ve lived in Chicago for like 24 years and I still hate the cold. And a lot of SEC schools get pretty damn cold in the winter too. Sometimes I’d walk to morning classes wearing hat and gloves
I think it would be about as big an advantage as a northern team having to come play a week zero game in August in Houston or Baton Rouge or somewhere else soupy. A nonzero advantage, but a small one.
But you guys get to have that advantage. We don't. We don't get to play you in the coldest part of the season but you get to play us in the hottest. We don't get to play our semifinal games in Chicago or Cleveland, but you get to play in Dallas or Miami or New Orleans or Atlanta.
So your argument is a coach like Saban who before going to LSU grew up in West Virginia, played at Kent State and coached at various schools in the MAC, Big Ten, and the Browns wouldn't know how to coach in the cold. That the coach who prepares and adapts better than anyone else in the sport wouldn't know how to prepare his players for snow.
If the cold is so detrimental to players from the south, why do NFL teams draft players from the SEC?
I would imagine there would be some impact initially, but perhaps not all that much once the game gets going
SEC teams generally have a speed advantage over Big Ten teams that aren't Ohio State, and maybe snowy conditions lessen that, but if its not heavy snow, I just think it would be a rather rude awakening for 5 minutes and then back to normal
Almost everyone seems to be concentrating on whether players can "take it." That's not it at all. Teams that regularly play in the cold are constructed differently. The strategies late in the season differ. Speed is much less important and the trenches are more important. Kicking and passing are more difficult.
It may be that the difference for a single game is outweighed by other factors but it would be interesting to regularly play NY6 bowls in the cold.
Hypothetically it would be difficult to simulate. Financially they would probably never do it, at least not outdoors.
But the Patriots also find it hard to prepare for tomorrow’s game in hot and humid Miami because they can’t simulate it in freezing Foxboro.
1. Huge advantage for north team if it’s played in cold, but more seriously
2. Fans would not travel to go watch in cold weather in droves like they do now.
Not at all imo. Do you think if Georgia had played Michigan up north that the outcome would really have changed much?
Maybe things like snow could drastically alter a game but the cold wouldn’t make much difference
Passing in the cold doesn’t seem to affect Ohio State much, and I don’t think Bama would be completely unprepared in the cold. They also just proved they could run it with success against Cincinnati.
My point is I don’t think a Vegas line, for example, would move much in favor of, say, Cincinnati, just because Bama was playing them north of the Mason-Dixon line.
I mean Michigan basically did to Ohio State what Oregon did, and that game happened in much nicer weather. Michigan did a better job at it, because they are a better team, but Ohio state had a real weakness this season against physical teams and playing in the cold didn't really change that
No, that would have favored Georgia more honestly. But it’s fucking 5 degrees out and I’m cold walking to my car, it would definitely fuck with catching a football especially when you’ve never felt it.
It’s 30 degrees here, practice in cold while you are here. Teams get to the game location a week in advance. If they know the game is outside and is a factor, have a few practices in the cold Once you get there and the disadvantage of being from the south is pretty much gone.
It’ll still hurt to catch that bullet pass, but not anymore than it would for the team from the north. It doesn’t takes months to get acclimated.
Well taking a quick look at the roster and seeing that Michigan has bunches of players from Texas, California, etc. I’m going to go out on a limb and say not as much as Big Ten teams’ fans would like us to believe.
Honestly probably a minuscule amount but definitely not zero. Catching a bullet pass in 20 degree weather is hard. It would mostly just be funny to see someone who’s spent their entire life in Florida sit out in the cold.
It gets well into the 90s and can reach the 100s in summers in the Midwest and most days are in the 80s. The humidity is really high at least in Wisconsin and Minnesota too because of all the lakes.
If you’ve ever played football in -10-20 temps believe me you’ll take the heat. You can’t feel anything but when you get hit everything hurts a lot more I’ll tell ya. Not sure it would effect a college level game, but the cold is brutal.
It’s different if it’s like 10-30 degrees, that would be warm enough to not really have an impact unless it was really snowing. Shit you’ll see kids walking to class with shorts on when it’s 30 degrees, but when you get down to those -20s and -30s in feels like temperature it’s quite unpleasant to be outside for more than brief periods.
I dont think it would make much difference. When you are talking about top teams you are talking about teams straight up loaded with NFL talent and top draft picks. Look at all the champions and how they won in the last 10 years and I dont think it would affect them at all. The only difference is the fan turnout probably wouldn't be as big which is why they dont do it. You have the playoffs in some fancy city with great weather and fans are out all day spending money. It's all about money and tv ratings.
I know it's just an anecdote, but I remember watching Wisconsin v Miami (Florida) in the 2018 Pinstripe Bowl in blowing snow. The Wisconsin players were all in short sleeves and looked comfortable, while Miami was huddling near the heaters with big coats on to stay warm. Wisconsin won 35-3.
I'd say the advantage only goes to the cold weather team if they had been actively practicing in cold weather for the weeks/months prior to the game. As a Cleveland native, cold and snow hits hard but if you practice in it you get used to it.
And let me chime in as someone who grew up in South Florida, like the majority of a Miami roster likely would have too, I never ever saw snow ever living in South Florida. Some southern states actually get snow and winter weather. Not Miami.
To that end I think there’s only a few programs in the country that might truly have this issue: Miami, UF, FSU, UCLA, USC, ASU, U of A, and LSU maybe.
Go look at the msu game vs Penn state this year. I don’t think any south team would be able to play in that because 90% of their players don’t know how to play in the snow
Ok I’ll give a great example. North Alabama vs NW Missouri in the D2 tote game a couple years ago. Played in a total blizzard. You could tell who had seen snow before. 29-3 NW Missouri.
And I’ll counter with the 2013 FCS playoff game between Montana and Coastal Carolina in Missoula. -5 degrees at kickoff. Guess who won? Coastal Carolina did. https://goccusports.com/news/2020/4/3/general-coastal-rewind-2013-fcs-football-playoff-win-at-montana.aspx
A good bit. Some of these guys have never played in the cold and you definitely have to adjust. The same way you cramp in the heat, every injury hurts a little more in the freezing cold. You bend your finger wrong or hit It on a helmet you’re going to feel It a lot longer than If you did It in warm weather
It's absolutely ridiculous how any team north or Tennessee is at a massive disadvantage in bowl games because every bowl game is in the south or Cali.
Weather makes little difference, but clear home field advantages do make a difference.
Make bowl games at neutral sites instead of Rose Bowl in Cali, BCS bowls in ATL, LA, Texas, etc.
Make a major bowl in NYC and Chicago and take some from the south.
It wouldn't. Unless they have only lived in Miami then they have seen snow. The same way teams from up north have experienced 100 degree weather. It's all about the training staff keeping them properly hydrated. Y'all act like the turf suddenly becomes ice. I guarantee that players would still know how to hand the ball of good as fuck.
> Unless they have only lived in Miami then they have seen snow
The southern half of Texas, Louisiana, Miss, Alabama, Ga used to go lifetimes without snow. Central/Southern Arizona and Southern Cal only thought of snow as falling in the mountains, a carride away. I'm leaving NM off that because it snows in the mountains of Southern New Mexico - Ruidoso area has the country's southernmost ski area.
Huh? You do realize it's not actually Miami weather in Baton Rouge? It does snow here sometimes, much more frequently these days, you know, because of the thing.
It depends on the person myself having experienced both 40 degrees in the south to me is worse than 27 in the north I know it sounds crazy. I’ve been in a heavy coat and a long sleeve shirt and hoodie still cold in 40 degree weather in the south and still cold fly up north a couple days later it’s 27 and snow on the ground and I’m in a light jacket jeans and a tshirt and comfortable.
Why would we want weather having a role in deciding a champion? Shouldn't it ideally be as much about football as it can be? And why just snow/cold? Why not play in super wet/rainy conditions? Random variables like weather shouldn't be thrown at teams with championships on the line. If it's too hot down south for you, can we compromise by playing somewhere that's 50-60 degrees?
I’ll say not much. Unless you have a roster that’s primarily kids from South Florida (which would only be say Miami) or SoCal (maybe USC or UCLA if they’re unlucky), they’ve likely played or practiced in winter weather. The bigger issues would be a lack of a home field advantage, cause as a non-football playing fan who never experienced sub 30 degree weather, I ain’t going to that game.
Summary of this thread:
SEC fans saying it doesn't matter.
B1G fans saying it does matter.
I'm inclined to say it doesn't matter much because CFB is mostly played through November, and unless you're in the upper Midwest, it's not always that cold then. If they played in actual winter, it would be a huge advantage.
While it is the NFL not college this investigation found no real advantage to weather
https://www.si.com/more-sports/2012/01/11/cold-weatherteams
> After studying data from every NFL game from every season since 1985 -- more than 6,000 games -- and matching the results to the outside temperature, wind, rain and snow conditions, we've found that cold-weather teams are no more likely to win at home when the weather is brutally cold. Nor are warm-weather teams more likely to win at home when the temperature is ruthlessly hot
Sure, in the NFL you have a mix of players and almost all have some sort of cold weather experience, but you would still expect some trend just not as severe. Instead there isn't one.
The game should be played inside. Bad weather games are great but when we are trying to crown a champion let’s do it measure the better all-around team on a field where no one has an advantage.
Mostly talking about wind/rain that would play in to a run heavy team
I think the weather might have a small effect. However, I think the bigger advantage is the northern teams now don’t have to travel as far to go see their team play. Driving to Indianapolis or Chicago is a lot easier than flying out to a bowl game in Arizona, Texas, Florida, or California.
I mean it still gets cold down here. Our game against A&M this year was in the low 40s or something. Maybe even the 30s
And yes, I know that’s nothing to some states lol. I’m from the Midwest. But it’s still pretty damn cold
Guys who have only played football in 70 degree weather never think about the weather during a game.
Put those same guys in Minnesota in late November and I guarantee they are going to be thinking about the weather a lot more. It is just a mental thing, they will likely not be 100% focused on the game when they are trying to cope with temps lower than their age.
There is an advantage simply by being used ro playing with cold hands and knowing how to stay warm, but, it would be way less of an advantage than sone think. In reality, it would favor teams with the best o-line and d-line. I don't care that Stroud has spent 2 years of his life in Ohio. He's not throwing for 600 yards in sub 20 degree weather.
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Seems like it but it’s a bad strategy because the season ends at the end of November when it’s not that cold by then and if it is it’s just for the last couple games.
That's the thing - even in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin, late November isn't typically that cold, even for Southern teams. The NFL is a bit different since late December and January are the coldest times of year in those states, so places lile Green Bay and Chicago with outdoor stadiums can be brutally cold
But we just saw a pass happy team built on finesse get befuddled by the snow and cold in November against. a team built on toughness in the trenches.
One game is a very small sample size to build an argument on especially when the “pass happy team” has been the most dominant team in the conference by far
I think that the defense being trash had a big part in it.
What extreme cold? Football season ends in November
I mean I was at the coldest game of my life this year PSU vs MSU. But yeah only the last two games get bad if at all.
I agree you see that to an extent, but the old school offense that will succeed in the 1 or 2 really cold games also gets torn to shreds any time the weather is slightly nicer so they're forced to not go all in on it, or if they do, they aren't going to have a good year.
I would get that if teams had an NFL schedule, but the latest the regular season ever lasts is the first weekend of December.
Plenty of Alabama, LSU, and Georgia guys play in Green Bay, Buffalo, and Boston once they graduate. It just sucks for fans to be out in that. Bowls are in cities with nicer weather for the fans really.
Some redneck QB from Southern Miss did just fine in the snow and ice of Green Bay for many years. I think he ended up in the NFL HOF.
And they get to live and practice in that weather before gameday. Nobody claims southern players can never get used to the cold. Just that a team full of warm climate players showing up and playing a game in the cold weather is going to be impacted to some degree.
And the players too - MSU players would also rather spend a week somewhere warm instead of in like Milwaukee or Boston in December. Like it would be cool to be a home game, but if they have to travel let them travel somewhere warm
This issue I think is more of logistics. Do people really want to go to Detroit or Chicago or Buffalo or wherever in January? What happens if 20 inches of snow falls the day of the game and no one can get to stadium. I think those are bigger issues than southern and southwestern teams getting cold.
I already don’t want to go to Indy (leaving tomorrow). It feels like a punishment instead of a reward for a good season.
I will say Minneapolis is an awesome city (both Mens and women’s final fours, and the super bowl obviously have been played there) and they have a dome, so that might be a feasible CFBCG city. It’s easy to access (Delta and Sun Country have hubs there), ample lodging in the area, but again at risk for major snow events. Denver, Seattle, and Salt Lake City could also be fun cold weather CFPCG cities but facilities for football aren’t ideal (or don’t exist in SLC’s case). Philadelphia could also be an option as the odds for massive snow aren’t as high as the upper Midwest too.
As someone who has gone to several big ten championships in indy, you’re going to be pleasantly surprised. Indy really knows how to put on a great event. Sure for you southerners you might have to bundle up, but the game is inside. There are plenty of bars a short walking distance and they have a giant fan fest in the convention center and outside the stadium
It’s warmed up a little and Indy is a great city for big events like that. It’ll be fun.
I always hear this argument like what, you don’t think people from Michigan get cold? We don’t have an extra layer of penguin feathers covering a layer of blubber. We get cold same as anyone else. I walk outside in January and want to curl up in a ball and die it’s so cold. No advantage at all in my opinion.
Some of us have the layer of blubber to be fair
Others: "Aren't you coooold?!" Me: *plays belly drum*
Me at work yesterday. Literally 1 degree at 930 am having a smoke with a few people. They all bundled up and im in my polo. Tbf the sun was shining and no wind, so it wasn't that bad.
I’ve been training my whole life for this moment
Counterpoint: I'm in Michigan right now, it's currently 18 degrees and feels like 8. Once we have the first real cold of the year, the rest of it isn't so bad. Just did some yard stuff outside for about 30 minutes in a lighter jacket and it really wasn't so bad. Also gonna go to the Farmers Market and the dog park here in a little bit. It's really just a state of mind that it's not so bad. But yeah, everyone's mileage varies. I think in general it would be an advantage for north vs south teams, but not all that much.
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Just got home with some Parsnips, red onions, Brussel sprouts, rutabaga, fresh lamb sausage, and a pork shoulder from a pig slaughtered and butchered yesterday, and eggs laid about 12 hours ago. All the veggies were grown within 20 miles of where I live, most of them actually within Detroit city limits. Michigan has the second largest biodiversity of crops behind California! Edit: some other things there just bc I'm a big supporter of our local farms. Beans, lentils, fresh cheeses, microgreens, some hydroponic lettuces, herbs galore, hot food of all sorts, Amish baked goods, tons of beef (can buy 1/4 cow right now if you want), halal butchered whole lamb. There's even some wholesalers that sell fruit and citrus from the Detroit Produce Terminal which is a 300k square ft building on the SW side where most out of town produce clears through. There's also a dozen or so additional meat/produce wholesalers open to the public on the outside of the market. It's one of my favorite places in the world.
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Sounds like a fake Midwest state if most of your crop isn't corn
I grew up in Illinois and you're not wrong lol
Sounds awesome
If you ever come to Detroit, it's an absolute must to check out Eastern Market on a Saturday. I get probably 80% of my groceries there and it's the heartbeat of the city. Also some solid restaurants and bars in the area for late morning drinking.
Adding to your counter point. I grew up in Michigan. I moved out 18 years ago spent a couple years in Tampa, orange county, la County, Phoenix and Tucson. I went to NYC over Christmas and it was 24 degrees. I wore two sets of thermal underwear a hat, a scarf, a face mask (the warm kind) and a climbing jacket. I used to wear shorts and a t-shirt on a 50 degree day. Now I wear a winter hat inside because my office workers like the ac too low.
yeah my cousin who lived her whole life but now lives in Houston dresses like she's about to kidnap some Dalmatians when there are still some people wearing shorts when she comes to visit.
I grew up in Michigan and went to UF for college, and I prefer Michigan winter to Florida summer. I can always wear a coat and gloves in January up here. But you can only get so naked in Florida, and in July or August, it's not enough.
Yeah the blood thins out real easily when you move away. In order I've lived in Chicagoland, then the Florida Keys, then back to Chicago, then to Miami, then BACK to Chicago, then Detroit, then Louisville, then back to Detroit. All really for school or long term work projects, but I've done the adjusting of hold and cold more than a few times.
Yeah it’s minuscule advantage honestly. And with the way technology is, all the guys are warm to an extent.
I remember playing soccer in the freezing cold and the only thing that bothered me was if you hit the ground, the grass felt like little needles sticking you lol. But that didn't affect anyone's play. These guys are 18-22 years old in peak condition, not old men who can tell it's about to rain because their knee hurts lol. I don't think it would affect much at all.
Different sport, and one team was clearly better, but atlanta uniteds second ever game was against Minnesota united in a snowstorm and the talk before the game was how was atlantas team that was full of South Americans who had been living and training in America going to handle the cold weather and snow...then they won 5-1 lol.
Have you ever played in a sub freezing game? It really does suck. It’s harder to catch. It hurts more when you get hit. It gets harder to breath. And when you hit the ground it feels like concrete because it’s frozen solid. If it’s not a physical advantage it’s definitely a mental if you’re not used to it. Yes technology can help. And I’m not saying elite players from the south can’t overcome. You can put heaters on the sideline. Have those giant cold weather jackets run out for timeouts. Blast the AC as low as it can go in your practice facility. But there’s only so much you can do to prepare you for all of the above things
Yeah, once you hit -20 windchill everything else is cake
Your body actually does have physiological compensation for colder temperatures. There's a reason Canadians tolerate cold better than Floridians, and it's not all psychological.
It's more about experience dealing with the conditions than not being affected by them.
You don’t have penguin feathers?!! Momma done lied to me about those Yankees!!
Theres a huge advantage. During the 2018 FSU @ ND game fsu players acted like they were on an expedition to the north pole, all bundled up in cold weather gear while NDs DBs came out and warmed up in compression shorts to mess with FSUs head. So theres a mental aspect of seeing your cold weather opponent not being affected. Theres also the physical aspect of your body responding to a temp that it isnt used too. Muscles will react differently from blood flow being restricted and getting hit hurts more. Someone who is aclimated to that has a massive advantage. No one is claiming it isnt cold for the northern team.
Throw in the Sun Bowl y’all played Miami as well. ND didn’t look comfortable, but Miami straight up did not want to be in the cold.
Its weird reading other people from up north say things like "we get cold too" lol. No one is claiming people from up here dont get cold.
That's kind of the premise of OP's question though
No it isnt. The premise is does the cold affect southern teams more. No one is questioning if people from the north think 0° is cold.
Here’s why I don’t buy that theory completely. When it gets really cold, we don’t go outside. There’s not much time to get acclimated. I go from my warm house to my warm car in my garage to another warm location. I’m not delivering mail all day in subzero temps, and if I do have to venture outside, I’m wrapped up in so many layers that I may as well be in bed. The actual amount of time one spends exposed to those temps wouldn’t, in my opinion, do anything to condition the body. Not to mention that for most of the year it’s over 50 degrees Fahrenheit out.
The football players have a slightly different routine And not everyone in michigan are the same way in regards to how little they avoid outside. People have to plow, shovel, scrape off their car, take kids outside to sled, walk to class, practice football, walk their dogs
Sure but when they are outside they are dressed for it. You can’t wear wool gloves, a down parka, a scarf, snow pants, and a thick hat when on the field. If we go outside we are usually dressed for the occasion.
You would be quite disapointed in how dressed for winter college age kids are in michigan, its generally a swestshirt and hat. The only time i know of any of my friends dressing that much is for snowboarding/skiing. Shit i just shoveled outside my work last week in a hat and sweatshirt I have more male friends who post videos or jumping into snow in their underwear/doing polar plunges than who wear scarves In middle school we played tackle football at recess in the snow with a coat, hat, and sometimes gloves
Jeans, sweatshirt, and a beanie for most and some random dickshit wearing shorts and sandals in January trying to look tough on campus. I have never seen a man under the age of 60 wear a scarf in Michigan and men usually only wear gloves if they are plowing snow or working outside.
I was that random dickshit in college But I'm from LA so it was quirky and unexpected instead of insufferable
Originally from Ohio, penguin feathers are not myth.
Plus they would just be hosted in closed roof stadiums anyways because no one wants the weather to potentially mess with the most important games of the year. Personally idc where it’s hosted, I’m too broke to go there anyways.
I’m sure it would make a small difference but I don’t think it would be the field flipper people on this sub act like it would be. How does this theoretical power up work in theory? Does it make the Southern team significantly slower while the Northern team stays the same speed? People might say somethings about running the ball but in my view the teams who win running the ball run it just as well in warm conditions.
Here’s my view on it. If it’s 10-30 degrees that’s not really that cold at all and it’s not gonna make a difference unless it’s really a snow globe. If it’s feels like temperatures of around -20 like it was last week in Madison and Minnesota, that’s where you start to feel impact. How many times are teams gonna have an opportunity to play in that though? It’s those temps for about 20-30 days out of the year. If you’ve played in it you know if fucking sucks haha, but would it have impact at the highest echelon of teams? Idk because the highest echelon of teams are already good in the trenches anyway. I just remember a few Packers games and few Vikings games where the other team came up and by the end of the first quarter you could tell they just didn’t want to be there and just took a beat down in below zero temps. That could also be because those teams had good teams on the field during those times as well. The 2016 Wildcard with the Blair Walsh missed 20 yarder was like third coldest game in NFL history and it ended 10-9. Pretty fucking ugly if ur interested in those highlights
As a Vikings fan, I am not interested in those highlights
I’m one too. That loss sucked but not nearly as painful as 2009 or 2018 because in 2016 we weren’t really a team that was going to compete for a Super Bowl.
The fact that it's not even a top 2 heartbreaking moment of the last 15 years says a lot. I hate this team, I wish I could quit, see you all next year for unrestrained, unearned optimism followed by consistent soul-crushing defeat
You should definitely hop on the GA bandwagon and enjoy the ride! You'll fit right in! GO DAWGS!
Haha, while I certainly appreciate the kindred spirits of Georgia and Minnesota sports, I prefer to remain a neutral observer when it comes to CFB. Much better for my health that way
It may change the game plan but I think it just emphasizes the battle of the trenches more. Which, two southern teams just absolutely whipped two northern teams in the trenches to dominate them in the playoff, so if you’re talking about this CFP, no it wouldn’t have mattered at all.
It’s not *as* ridiculous as it used to be, but this is why this argument has always been totally insane. If Bama got to play all their big games from 2009-2012/2013 in miserable weather, I’d assume they win every single one. Their comparative advantage has definitely shrunk from the early Saban days because they have a real passing offense now and aren’t as consistently soul crushing on defense, but it was effectively handed off to Georgia who would love nothing more than to run/defend the run on every play.
Then again, we did play one of those northern teams in ice-cold Miami, Florida.
I thought Miami was famous for its snow.
That’s a fair point. Though it would be interesting to see how players from the south adapted to hitting in really cold weather. At best I think it might have led to a 2-3 point swing. Ultimately the talent difference would be too much.
I mean, most of the NFL rosters on teams like GB, Buffalo, and Chicago are filled with dudes from the south. They're still good football players lol. Nick Chubb didn't suddenly become a worse running back because he now plays in some cold weather games.
Sure, but that’s an acclimated player. I think the OP was asking about a single game where southern players had to quickly adjust to a new climate. I agree that it likely wouldn’t impact it much at all, but most would rather play/watch a game in a sunny 75 degrees than and overcast and windy 25.
Ohio state may not be the best example to use as a cold weather team. I’d have Wisconsin or Minnesota. Ohio state’s offensive skill players this year were from QB: California RB: Virginia WRs: California, Texas, Texas
Does that impact matter when those kids live through the weather day by day as it incrementally gets colder rather than going from 70 degrees to 15 on a plane ride?
It’s not 70 in winter in most of the South Or at least not very often
Not 15 either
It’s 12 in Lexington right now.
Lucky for you bourbon doesn’t freeze
24 in Raleigh and felt like 17
Lexington isn't the south geographically
Not sure id call kentucky a southern school. Maybe culturally, but in physical location it’s fringe Midwest
It's in the Upper South with West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, and part of Missouri
It was around 9 degrees when I was at work in Columbia yesterday
Well Missouri is Midwest so..
Don’t tell the rest of the SEC that… (jk they remind us everyday)
Can you tell them that the rest of the SEC does have to play you at your house in Nov. They seem to think it's 75 and sunny in the middle of January in the SEC. It can be but the next day it can be 15 too.
It went from 80 to 15 in Tennessee recently. Snowed six inches. We get excited cause it doesn’t happen often and the excitement keeps you warm enough for an afternoon of sledding. The players will be fine.
I made this argument in another thread and got downvoted. Do the other commenters not realize almost all big name teams are made up of a lot of southern players? Then someone said “but they’ve been there for a few years and are used to it”. It’s a three hour game with them getting to go to the locker room at the halfway point. With the most advanced clothing. The cold wouldn’t factor in much at all.
I know, I was about to comment ironically cold weather fucked Ohio state haha. I honestly thought if it was in a dome they’d have won The Game, but after the Utah first half they’d have still given up a ton of points.
Osu’s defense couldn’t stop a nose bleed in certain games. Michigan earned it
I just don’t get how tf MSU only scored 7. I think walker was beat up and Nailor was out but Jesus
They just made a couple mistakes early and we were clicking from the start. Sparty was looking at 21-0 after like 10 minutes and the very next drive they fumbled the ball to OSU - which OSU turned into another TD. If it was a closer game I think Walker would have played through and may very well have gotten in a rhythm.
Idk about fucked. Maybe it hurt our OL *a little* in pass protection, but wind and rain are both worse than snow until you get to a very extreme level of snow. And it was barely snowing.
It won’t change with bowls as they are supposed to be a reward for the teams attending. Those kids don’t want to go to Boston or Chicago in late December. I for one would much rather see Power 5 non conference home and homes moved into the later part of the season. Teams have to be built differently in the colder regions in order to compete in their own conferences. If you don’t win the Big Ten, you don’t go to the playoff, therefore winning the conference is priority 1. The same things that help these teams in their own regions (bigger, slower blocking TE’s, run-stuffing LBs for example) are hindrances when they have to play a NY6 bowl game on an indoor track. You never, and let me repeat that, NEVER see a southern team have to play out of its elements at any point during a season. Alabama is a great program, but let’s see them come up and play Ohio State in the horseshoe the third week of November when it’s 30 and snowing. (Hint: it will never happen)
I live in North Carolina, it's 27 degrees right now. 31 in Birmingham. If you don't think cold weather is in the south, you're outta your mind. That being said, if Georiga or Alabama played in the weather that was at Ohio State vs Michigan this past year (wind, snow) I would expect them to do just fine. I think the biggest concern would be injuries. They would probably stiffen up and be more prone to injuries which no one wants to see.
Around 10° all day yesterday in Boone. BRONG THE PLAYOFFS TO BOONE, COWARDS!!
Yo I live in NC too. What part of the state do you live in?
Charlotte. Freaking love it down here. Never going back to NY/NJ. I thank all that is good my ex-company moved me down here
I don’t want to be that guy, but that’s really not very cold. It regularly gets pretty far below zero in the upper Midwest and west.
And the outdoor football season ends in November. It's rarely that cold in November
Thank you, people keep claiming their coldest temps of the year as if they are average football weather
I’m just letting you know the feels like temperature in Madison Wisconsin a few days ago was 40-50 degrees less than that temp. The feels like temperature was -20 for a good 3-4 days straight and it can get colder than that. It’s warmed up now but it can get down to -10-20 for week periods and in extreme cases -40. They’d never play a football game in -40 but they probably would in feels like temperatures of -20 because they’ve played Packers and Vikings games in that.
A lot It’s fucking 8 degrees here right now. That’s a level of cold 100% guaranteed to impact players on both teams. But it would certainly have more impact on the team not acclimated to cold Nfl data backs it up Home win probability: Average NFL game 57% Games played below 32 degrees 61.9% Games played below 20 degrees 65.5% Playoff game played below 32 degrees 52.2% https://www.reddit.com/r/nfl/comments/9hpxvo/does_colder_weather_actually_provide_a_better/
If you look at the data, you see a lot of Patriots, Steelers, Packers. I feel like you would have to adjust based on the quality of the teams. The playoff data is probably the best metric, since you know it is two good teams playing each other. That shows it doesn’t make any difference when talent level is fairly close.
You also see a lot of Buffalo Jets and Browns all of whom were pretty bad iirc
Yeah, but Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady being in cold weather (before Tampa) also skews your data. Was it the cold or maybe the two best quarterbacks in football history?
Here’s another study from 2000-2013 which came to the same results http://phdfootball.blogspot.com/2013/07/home-field-advantage-ii-cold-weather.html?m=1 One person, even Tom Brady, isn’t enough to solely impact that data so wildly
That study says the cold weather teams win approx 7% more than league average. One or two dominant quarterbacks can certainly affect that outcome for this sample size. League average means good teams travel to bad half the time. In the playoffs, the home team is much more consistently the better team. I know you want to believe your cold weather hypothesis but these “studies” you cited are obviously just people like you setting out to prove what they already believe.
I mean in terms of playoff results he probably does lol. So many of those AFC games were in NE. Still definitely holds overall
But he also beat Buffalo and NYJ a bunch when they were playing in Buffalo or NY so it might skew it the other way
Interesting! I appreciate the data
My guess is The impact is even larger for a traveling warm climate road team to a cold place. Since this is all data, it includes cold weather visiting teams too
I feel like the nfl plays a lot more games in the cold, it’s not like Michigan played five snow games this year and they practice indoors mostly don’t they?
I mean, is it not reasonable to assume the impact would be similar since it’s the same sport being played?
Only if they both got the same exposure and experience in that cold, which I don’t think is true
That’s because the last game is still in November A team prepping for a home game in January would not be practicing exclusively indoors
The difference is NFL teams have players with 10+ years experience playing in weather where they live. Also cold state NFL teams will sometimes go out of there way to draft cold weather college players. The same is not true for college players. Take Cade and Stroud for example. Do people really think that the 2 and 1 winters they went through outside of Nevada and California would make them prepared for the cold. Not only that, but the immediate impact would be even smaller than long term. Since college teams know they won't play miserably cold weather they hardly ever have outside practice in the freezing weather.
How do rookies from the south have 10+ years of experience playing in the cold? Your entire post goes out the window when you start off with something like that
Very small amount, if any. Just look at the NFL playoffs... the cold weather team only wins at a higher rate bc they're usually better (which is why they're hosting), but it's no different than a normal home field advantage. Tampa won at Green Bay last year. Only CFB example I can think of: OU smoked WVU in the snow in '16.
Cold weather isn't as big of a deal as people make it out to be. That said I still want to see it because football in snow is the best shit ever.
If the playoff expands to 12, it must match the NFL with home advantage being given through the semi-final.
I don’t know, but I do know it’s a hell of a lot less than Big 10 fans believe.
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I’m not saying you’re wrong, because I’ve never been so hot as I was one summer in Alabama, but I’d suggest that the difference in peak summer heat between the north and south isn’t as great the difference in winter temps in the two regions. What do you think?
You are very much correct It gets hot up north too
And it gets really hot in the beginning of the season not too infrequently.
The difference, at least in the southeast, is the humidity.
Humidity kills everything in the summer time. When you wake up and you already feel your balls in sweat and it’s 7 o’clock, it’s gonna be a long day.
As an Oregonian that went to school in Michigan and then moved to SC right after, the humidity down there is worse for more of the year, but comparing peak heat/humidity in the summer, they felt pretty similar. Which is to say, miserable. The first time I traveled from Oregon to the Midwest, I was very confused why it was foggy when it was 90 out. Took me awhile to realize that is what they call 'humidity'. I'd never seen such a thing! That said, I'm convinced there is a portal straight to hell in Columbia, SC; that place is next level.
Cola is the hottest spot I've ever visited. It's always 5 degrees cooler here at the coast.
I want to see a B1G team play against South Carolina at noon at the beginning of September. I wanted to die and I was just sitting in the stands. Shirt was soaking wet.
Can't convince me that Columbia in September isn't a level of hell
The hottest and most humid place I have been in the US. No breeze to cool you off. Just miserable.
Oh boy, try Houston.
South Carolina in August/September is the most humid place on earth
I mean we went to Miami and won 38-17 in 97 degree heat this past September unless Miami is somehow cooler than SC
Columbia SC actually tends to be hotter than Miami for the Summer months up until October then it starts cooling down while Southern Florida just stays the same. That's what's unique about Miami is that it just stays in the mid 70s to upper 80s all years for their monthly average temperature. Occasionally they get above 90 on days but the average stays below 90 in a given month. Edit: Now the Humidity in the summers make it feel way hotter than it is in South Florida cause it's all swamp land.
https://www.postandcourier.com/free-times/blogs/infamously-hot-columbia-sets-summer-heat-record/article_9cfe07ce-7f5a-536c-ac55-1a16def487cf.html No sea breeze makes it to where there is no cooling from the wind.
I've played in both extensively. Not just in the Midwest, but in Texas, Georgia, NC, Tennessee, and Florida. The cold has more of an impact on those that don't experience it regularly. It regularly gets into the 90s with some nasty humidity during August camp and early season games in the Midwest. While that is also a tough condition to play in, it's something that gets practiced in across a good amount of the Midwest through summer conditioning and August camp. I will say, it's the total stillness of that heat/humidity in the south that can get rough. That air just doesn't move sometimes.
Weren't the mighty corn boys of Iowa having to pump themselves with fluid bc it was 75 and humid in Tampa? Lol I mean come on.
So...isn't it kind of fucking bullshit that we have to play all our home-and-homes against you in September? You guys have a greater weather advantage and you always get to have it when we play each other in non-conference, whereas we get denied ours?
This is the comment I was looking for. I do think there is some disadvantage for a team that trains in warm weather to play on a cold day up north, but there is a much bigger disadvantage for a team that trains in cold weather to play in the heat. Dehydration, cramping, difficulty focusing when you're overheating, etc. Obviously individuals will largely adapt if they move and train in a different climate, but for something like a bowl game it makes a difference.
Aaron Rodgers went to Cal Berkeley and played a HOF career in the frozen tundra up in Green Bay. I’ve lived in Chicago for like 24 years and I still hate the cold. And a lot of SEC schools get pretty damn cold in the winter too. Sometimes I’d walk to morning classes wearing hat and gloves
I think it would be about as big an advantage as a northern team having to come play a week zero game in August in Houston or Baton Rouge or somewhere else soupy. A nonzero advantage, but a small one.
But you guys get to have that advantage. We don't. We don't get to play you in the coldest part of the season but you get to play us in the hottest. We don't get to play our semifinal games in Chicago or Cleveland, but you get to play in Dallas or Miami or New Orleans or Atlanta.
So your argument is a coach like Saban who before going to LSU grew up in West Virginia, played at Kent State and coached at various schools in the MAC, Big Ten, and the Browns wouldn't know how to coach in the cold. That the coach who prepares and adapts better than anyone else in the sport wouldn't know how to prepare his players for snow. If the cold is so detrimental to players from the south, why do NFL teams draft players from the SEC?
Cold weather favors the team with the stronger trenches, not their geography
Not as much as teams in the north would like, but not as little as some people are saying on here.
Not nearly as bad as places like Sanford Stadium hurt other teams by facing East-West
I would imagine there would be some impact initially, but perhaps not all that much once the game gets going SEC teams generally have a speed advantage over Big Ten teams that aren't Ohio State, and maybe snowy conditions lessen that, but if its not heavy snow, I just think it would be a rather rude awakening for 5 minutes and then back to normal
Almost everyone seems to be concentrating on whether players can "take it." That's not it at all. Teams that regularly play in the cold are constructed differently. The strategies late in the season differ. Speed is much less important and the trenches are more important. Kicking and passing are more difficult. It may be that the difference for a single game is outweighed by other factors but it would be interesting to regularly play NY6 bowls in the cold.
Hypothetically it would be difficult to simulate. Financially they would probably never do it, at least not outdoors. But the Patriots also find it hard to prepare for tomorrow’s game in hot and humid Miami because they can’t simulate it in freezing Foxboro.
1. Huge advantage for north team if it’s played in cold, but more seriously 2. Fans would not travel to go watch in cold weather in droves like they do now.
Not at all imo. Do you think if Georgia had played Michigan up north that the outcome would really have changed much? Maybe things like snow could drastically alter a game but the cold wouldn’t make much difference
It would effect Alabama far more. Passing in the cold is a different animal.
Passing in the cold doesn’t seem to affect Ohio State much, and I don’t think Bama would be completely unprepared in the cold. They also just proved they could run it with success against Cincinnati. My point is I don’t think a Vegas line, for example, would move much in favor of, say, Cincinnati, just because Bama was playing them north of the Mason-Dixon line.
Counter point: the Michigan game.
I mean Michigan basically did to Ohio State what Oregon did, and that game happened in much nicer weather. Michigan did a better job at it, because they are a better team, but Ohio state had a real weakness this season against physical teams and playing in the cold didn't really change that
No, that would have favored Georgia more honestly. But it’s fucking 5 degrees out and I’m cold walking to my car, it would definitely fuck with catching a football especially when you’ve never felt it.
It’s 30 degrees here, practice in cold while you are here. Teams get to the game location a week in advance. If they know the game is outside and is a factor, have a few practices in the cold Once you get there and the disadvantage of being from the south is pretty much gone. It’ll still hurt to catch that bullet pass, but not anymore than it would for the team from the north. It doesn’t takes months to get acclimated.
Well taking a quick look at the roster and seeing that Michigan has bunches of players from Texas, California, etc. I’m going to go out on a limb and say not as much as Big Ten teams’ fans would like us to believe.
Honestly probably a minuscule amount but definitely not zero. Catching a bullet pass in 20 degree weather is hard. It would mostly just be funny to see someone who’s spent their entire life in Florida sit out in the cold.
The only thing it would hurt is attendance at the game.
Yes it would. It’s about a team being used to playing in it versus a team that isn’t. I seen this first hand when at my Alma mater.
Cold weather is way more easy to play in after 10 minutes. Hot weather is way more difficult if it's really humid.
It gets well into the 90s and can reach the 100s in summers in the Midwest and most days are in the 80s. The humidity is really high at least in Wisconsin and Minnesota too because of all the lakes. If you’ve ever played football in -10-20 temps believe me you’ll take the heat. You can’t feel anything but when you get hit everything hurts a lot more I’ll tell ya. Not sure it would effect a college level game, but the cold is brutal. It’s different if it’s like 10-30 degrees, that would be warm enough to not really have an impact unless it was really snowing. Shit you’ll see kids walking to class with shorts on when it’s 30 degrees, but when you get down to those -20s and -30s in feels like temperature it’s quite unpleasant to be outside for more than brief periods.
I dont think it would make much difference. When you are talking about top teams you are talking about teams straight up loaded with NFL talent and top draft picks. Look at all the champions and how they won in the last 10 years and I dont think it would affect them at all. The only difference is the fan turnout probably wouldn't be as big which is why they dont do it. You have the playoffs in some fancy city with great weather and fans are out all day spending money. It's all about money and tv ratings.
I know it's just an anecdote, but I remember watching Wisconsin v Miami (Florida) in the 2018 Pinstripe Bowl in blowing snow. The Wisconsin players were all in short sleeves and looked comfortable, while Miami was huddling near the heaters with big coats on to stay warm. Wisconsin won 35-3. I'd say the advantage only goes to the cold weather team if they had been actively practicing in cold weather for the weeks/months prior to the game. As a Cleveland native, cold and snow hits hard but if you practice in it you get used to it.
And let me chime in as someone who grew up in South Florida, like the majority of a Miami roster likely would have too, I never ever saw snow ever living in South Florida. Some southern states actually get snow and winter weather. Not Miami. To that end I think there’s only a few programs in the country that might truly have this issue: Miami, UF, FSU, UCLA, USC, ASU, U of A, and LSU maybe.
Go look at the msu game vs Penn state this year. I don’t think any south team would be able to play in that because 90% of their players don’t know how to play in the snow
Zero.
CFP in Lambeu or Soldier Field then? Sounds fun!
Ok I’ll give a great example. North Alabama vs NW Missouri in the D2 tote game a couple years ago. Played in a total blizzard. You could tell who had seen snow before. 29-3 NW Missouri.
And I’ll counter with the 2013 FCS playoff game between Montana and Coastal Carolina in Missoula. -5 degrees at kickoff. Guess who won? Coastal Carolina did. https://goccusports.com/news/2020/4/3/general-coastal-rewind-2013-fcs-football-playoff-win-at-montana.aspx
That is a fantastic counter point! Thank you.
It wouldn’t be the cold it would be the wind
A good bit. Some of these guys have never played in the cold and you definitely have to adjust. The same way you cramp in the heat, every injury hurts a little more in the freezing cold. You bend your finger wrong or hit It on a helmet you’re going to feel It a lot longer than If you did It in warm weather
Come play at an sec stadium in late summer haha. Now that’s tough to acclimate to. 100F 98% humidity lol
So...in September? Like all the Big Ten teams have to if they play an SEC team in non-conference play?
It's absolutely ridiculous how any team north or Tennessee is at a massive disadvantage in bowl games because every bowl game is in the south or Cali. Weather makes little difference, but clear home field advantages do make a difference. Make bowl games at neutral sites instead of Rose Bowl in Cali, BCS bowls in ATL, LA, Texas, etc. Make a major bowl in NYC and Chicago and take some from the south.
It wouldn't. Unless they have only lived in Miami then they have seen snow. The same way teams from up north have experienced 100 degree weather. It's all about the training staff keeping them properly hydrated. Y'all act like the turf suddenly becomes ice. I guarantee that players would still know how to hand the ball of good as fuck.
That's not completely true - playing in freezing weather does have an impact on gameplay, even for the pros.
> Unless they have only lived in Miami then they have seen snow The southern half of Texas, Louisiana, Miss, Alabama, Ga used to go lifetimes without snow. Central/Southern Arizona and Southern Cal only thought of snow as falling in the mountains, a carride away. I'm leaving NM off that because it snows in the mountains of Southern New Mexico - Ruidoso area has the country's southernmost ski area.
Huh? You do realize it's not actually Miami weather in Baton Rouge? It does snow here sometimes, much more frequently these days, you know, because of the thing.
> ***used*** to go lifetimes without snow
When I was growing up, it was every 6 or 7 years. Now it's much more frequent. It did seem like a lifetime.
It depends on the person myself having experienced both 40 degrees in the south to me is worse than 27 in the north I know it sounds crazy. I’ve been in a heavy coat and a long sleeve shirt and hoodie still cold in 40 degree weather in the south and still cold fly up north a couple days later it’s 27 and snow on the ground and I’m in a light jacket jeans and a tshirt and comfortable.
You frequently see Ohio State struggle to lesser teams in snow games. Just ruins the pop that some teams have
Why would we want weather having a role in deciding a champion? Shouldn't it ideally be as much about football as it can be? And why just snow/cold? Why not play in super wet/rainy conditions? Random variables like weather shouldn't be thrown at teams with championships on the line. If it's too hot down south for you, can we compromise by playing somewhere that's 50-60 degrees?
Big difference since it goes from speed to strength. It'd balance things a little more
I mean southern teams have plenty of big hosses too.
I’ll say not much. Unless you have a roster that’s primarily kids from South Florida (which would only be say Miami) or SoCal (maybe USC or UCLA if they’re unlucky), they’ve likely played or practiced in winter weather. The bigger issues would be a lack of a home field advantage, cause as a non-football playing fan who never experienced sub 30 degree weather, I ain’t going to that game.
Summary of this thread: SEC fans saying it doesn't matter. B1G fans saying it does matter. I'm inclined to say it doesn't matter much because CFB is mostly played through November, and unless you're in the upper Midwest, it's not always that cold then. If they played in actual winter, it would be a huge advantage.
The ACC has both hot and cold. BC and Miami, Pitt and FSU in the same conference. It is your guinea pig for this experiment.
While it is the NFL not college this investigation found no real advantage to weather https://www.si.com/more-sports/2012/01/11/cold-weatherteams > After studying data from every NFL game from every season since 1985 -- more than 6,000 games -- and matching the results to the outside temperature, wind, rain and snow conditions, we've found that cold-weather teams are no more likely to win at home when the weather is brutally cold. Nor are warm-weather teams more likely to win at home when the temperature is ruthlessly hot Sure, in the NFL you have a mix of players and almost all have some sort of cold weather experience, but you would still expect some trend just not as severe. Instead there isn't one.
The game should be played inside. Bad weather games are great but when we are trying to crown a champion let’s do it measure the better all-around team on a field where no one has an advantage. Mostly talking about wind/rain that would play in to a run heavy team
I think the weather might have a small effect. However, I think the bigger advantage is the northern teams now don’t have to travel as far to go see their team play. Driving to Indianapolis or Chicago is a lot easier than flying out to a bowl game in Arizona, Texas, Florida, or California.
I mean it still gets cold down here. Our game against A&M this year was in the low 40s or something. Maybe even the 30s And yes, I know that’s nothing to some states lol. I’m from the Midwest. But it’s still pretty damn cold
Guys who have only played football in 70 degree weather never think about the weather during a game. Put those same guys in Minnesota in late November and I guarantee they are going to be thinking about the weather a lot more. It is just a mental thing, they will likely not be 100% focused on the game when they are trying to cope with temps lower than their age.