College football week 1: Which games may be impacted by weather?

Following last weekend’s handful of games that served as an appetizer for college football fans, this Labor Day weekend is considered the main course, with all but one ranked team in action.

Three of the biggest games are set to be played indoors and away from any inclement weather. Those games include No. 1 Alabama vs No. 3 Florida State at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta; No. 11 Michigan vs. No. 17 Florida at AT&T Stadium; and BYU vs. No. 13 LSU at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.

One game that won’t take place as scheduled this weekend is the University of Houston’s game at the University of Texas San Antonio, which was postponed due to the effects of Hurricane Harvey.

Here is a look at the weather conditions for the remaining teams currently ranked in the top 15.

Kent State at No. 5 Clemson - 12 p.m. EDT Saturday

The defending national champion Clemson Tigers will begin their quest to repeat at home against the Kent State Golden Flash.

"It should be dry and partly sunny for the game with a rather warm afternoon in Clemson," Pydynowski said. "However, the humidity will be relatively low. Fans will want to remain well-hydrated and protect themselves from the sun with hats, shades and sunscreen."

The kickoff temperature will be 77 F before slowly rising to the mid-80s by the end of the game.

Akron at No. 6 Penn State - 12 p.m. EDT Saturday

Fans flocking to Beaver Stadium will want to bring their rain jackets as the sixth-ranked Nittany Lions host the Zips.

"It will be damp, cloudy and cool in Happy Valley with spotty light rain and drizzle throughout the game," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said. "The rain and drizzle will be quite light, but the field and football can still become damp and slippery at times."

The cool conditions will be more reminiscent of October than early September. Highs at kickoff will be in the mid-50s before reaching 58 F for the second half of the game.

A normal high for Sept. 2 in State College is 77 F.

"The wind will be east-southeast at 3-6 mph during the first half and 5-10 mph from the east-southeast during the second half of the game," Pydynowski said.

Western Michigan at No. 4. Southern California - 5:15 p.m. EDT Saturday

With a heat wave continuing for parts of the western U.S., the Southern California Trojans will start off their season in hot conditions as they face Western Michigan at the LA Coliseum. 

Temperatures will hover in the upper 90s for the first half of the game, which kicks off at 2:15 p.m. local time (5:15 p.m. EDT). There will be virtually no respite from the heat throughout the entirety of the game.  

AccuWeather Real Feel Temperatures® will hover from 100-105 F during the game. Light winds up to 10 mph will not make much of a difference for fans or players. 

Fans should stay hydrated and shield from the sun when possible. 

University of Texas El-Paso (UTEP) at No. 7 Oklahoma - 3:30 p.m. EDT Saturday

UTEP and Oklahoma fans should prepare for warm and mostly sunny conditions during the game in Norman on Saturday afternoon.

Fans will want to drink plenty of water and wear hats, sunglasses and sunscreen to protect themselves from the sun, according to Pydynowski.

Temperatures will be around 80 F at kickoff, before rising to 83 F for the third quarter and dropping to 81 F by the end of the game.

There will be winds from the east-southeast at 4-8 mph during the first half and they will be from the southeast at 5-10 mph during the second half. The winds will not be much of a factor during the game.

Georgia Southern at No. 12 Auburn - 7:30 p.m. EDT Saturday

For Saturday evening's game at Jordan-Hare Stadium, it will be partly cloudy and warm with moderate humidity levels.

"At kickoff, the temperature will be near 80 F," Pydynowski said.

For the remainder of the game, the temperature will be 78 F during the second quarter, 75 F for the third quarter and then 72 F for the final quarter, he added.

The wind will be west at 4-8 mph during the first half and west-southwest at 3-6 mph during the second half of the game.

Appalachian State at No. 15 Georgia - 6:15 p.m. EDT Saturday

Appalachian State will face Georgia at Sanford Stadium in Athens on Saturday night in dry and partly cloudy conditions.

Temperatures at kickoff will be around 80 F but will drop to the low-70s by the final quarter of the game.

Winds will be from the west at 4-8 mph during the first half, but will shift to west- northwest at 3-6 mph during the second half of the game.

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