It is going to be hot in Austin on Saturday. How hot? The National Weather Service is forecasting a high of 102-degrees and humid. How will the heat impact the game and affect the Ohio State Buckeyes?
It has been another hot summer in Texas. While parts of the midwest, and even Europe, have had a hard time dealing with the record temperatures, Texans are used to it. It is always hot in July, August and early September.
That goes for the Texas Longhorns football team. Most of UT's roster is either from the Lone Star State or the South and are used to triple digit highs.
The Longhorns have spent the entire spring and fall camps outside. Texas' new Frank & Wofford Denius Indoor Football Facility will help the Longhorns stay cooler in the days, weeks,
months and years to come. But it wasn't ready until the day before the season began, meaning the Horns have had all practices this year in the heat.
Ohio State has had a lot of practices outside, but the Buckeyes have also spent a lot of preparation time inside at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Even outdoors, the weather in Columbus has been mild this summer. The average high in Columbus this August has been 84-degrees.
If you're not used to the extreme heat Texas has seen this year, it can be mind-numbing and debilitating. Saturday's win over Texas State was in the afternoon and several fans needed medical attention from heat exhaustion. And those are fans that have lived in the high temperatures all summer.
Medics transported 13 patients to hospitals during the Texas vs. Texas State game. Witnesses reported people being treated in stairwells. UT Athletics Director Chris Del Conte says he's now working to add more water stations for the Ohio State game: https://t.co/5Drq0XxGni pic.twitter.com/GJYYbuLXPU
— KVUE News (@KVUE) September 8, 2026
The good news for the Buckeyes is the game is at night. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. That will help Ohio State a little. But the peak temperature for the day will hit the Buckeyes during warmups and it will not start to really cool down until sundown. Even without direct sunlight, the weather will still feel oppressive.
Will the heat give Texas an edge? It should give the Longhorns an advantage, but it will be just one of the factors that decides the winner.
Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Trey on X: @TreyLuerssen.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Will extreme 100-degree heat affect Ohio State in Austin vs Longhorns?
