Weather Delays Scramble ESPN College Football Coverage
A number of delays shifted games around ESPN’s platforms.
Tuscaloosa, Alabama - A series of weather-related delays disrupted the college football schedule on Saturday across the South. Clemson's thrilling comeback victory over North Carolina stretched into a multi-hour affair due to a 2.5-hour weather interruption halfway through the fourth quarter. The game, originally scheduled for broadcast on ESPN, was ultimately shown on affiliate channel ESPNews. It was followed by Kentucky–Texas A&M, which began at 3:30 p.m. ET.
ABC's 3:30 p.m. ET matchup, featuring Florida State at Alabama, faced two delays. The first, pregame, pushed kickoff nearly two hours later. The second, a 30-minute delay with 2:36 left in the second quarter, resulted in the game being moved to ESPN2 to make room for the primetime contest between LSU–Ole Miss, which kicked off shortly before 8 p.m. ET. Florida State–Alabama had to be swapped with Oklahoma–New Mexico on ESPNews and the ESPN App. Following Alabama and Florida State, Oklahoma-New Mexico was returned to ESPN2.
Additional weather disruptions occurred on September 19, including a one-hour and twenty-minute delay for South Carolina–Mississippi State, and a one-hour and fifteen-minute delay for BYU–Colorado State. Both Alabama and Clemson games adhered to NCAA lightning rules, requiring a 30-minute stoppage if lightning strikes within an eight-mile radius.
Any subsequent strikes reset the countdown clock. In Tuscaloosa, the decision to delay games was a collective effort between the event management team, local weather experts, and the athletic director, as per an Alabama spokesperson speaking to Front Office Sports. Clemson utilized both NCAA and ACC game management policies and collaborated with public safety officials to communicate delays and develop a return-to-play plan based on available information.
Clemson coach Lane Kiffin opted to prolong the 90-minute pregame clock during a heavy downpour, hoping it would provide his team with a competitive advantage.
Networks adjusted their broadcasts during these disruptions, shifting to alternate channels and filling the time with studio analysis. If a delay impacts future kickoffs, as seen in recent weeks, networks can downgrade a game to another channel to maintain the scheduled primary network and game airing, as seen with tonight's LSU–Ole Miss game.
The issue appears increasingly prevalent, with multiple games each week facing delays. Clemson has experienced weather delays in three games this season, including the Week 1 matchup and Saturday's win against UNC. Oklahoma State's upset victory over Oregon last weekend lasted over five hours because of a 90-minute pregame delay, spanning three different ESPN channels: ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNews.
Written by urgent.news from Front Office Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
