The Ohio State Buckeyes are in Austin, Texas to take on the Texas Longhorns in a battle of top teams Saturday night. It’s a good thing the game is being played at night, due to unbelievable temperatures being shared from field level.
AccuWeather lists a temperature of 97 degrees at kickoff in Austin. That is the temperature in the air itself. One reporter shared her own thermometer reading that almost seems impossible.
Ohio State-Texas Features Extreme Heat
ESPN’s Holly Rowe appeared for some pregame coverage and was holding a thermometer that read 163 degrees on the field. Her report sounded like a mistake, but it’s the reading she had.
CBS Austin shared its own reading, coming in at nearly 152 degrees. The account also shared a post noting how fans are already huddling in cooler areas before kickoff.
One may wonder how the field temperature could be so much hotter than the actual temperature in the air. That has to do with the artificial turf that is baking in the sun and retaining the heat. Anyone who has stepped on turf on a hot day knows the feeling and the sight of heat being visible in the air.
The hope is that as the night continues, the field temperature drops at a rapid rate. If not, it’s hard to rationalize starting this game on time.
A Marquee Showdown in Week 2
Ohio State enters the game ranked No. 1 overall, while Texas sits at No. 4 in the nation. This is a potential College Football Playoff preview and also a matchup of two quarterbacks looking to have a showcase game for their respective NFL Draft stocks.
The main focus will be on the play of Texas quarterback Arch Manning. He seems to be in a competition at the moment with Dante Moore to be the prospective No. 1 QB off the board in the 2027 NFL Draft.
Moore’s Oregon Ducks suffered a historic upset loss against Oklahoma State on Saturday, opening the door for Manning to shine with a win against the best team in the country.
Of course, Ohio State has a star in wide receiver Jeremiah Smith who wants to prove he deserves to be the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft.
This game is a battle of premier programs and should be a competitive game no matter the temperature on the field.
Reporter Shares Shocking Field Temperature Ahead of Ohio State-Texas Game