One of the toughest aspects of preparing for the 2024 season opener against Texas A&M on the road in Kyle Field was the potential for excessive heat. Northern Indiana gets hot, of course, but you can’t simulate the sweltering heat that is possible and even likely in Texas in August. However, based on the latest forecasts, it looks as though Notre Dame is getting weather conditions that will be as favorable as possible.
The current forecasts for Saturday in College Station call for a high of just 88 degrees with scattered showers and thunderstorms. It was 100 degrees or warmer in College Station for four days last week alone. It will be hotter in South Bend on Thursday and Friday than it will be in Aggieland on Saturday.
The environment in Kyle Field will be raucous enough for Notre Dame to deal with on Saturday night, so removing the excessive heat element will obviously benefit Notre Dame.
With a high temperature of 88 predicted during the day, temps around kickoff should be around 85 or lower. That is much more manageable for a visiting team as opposed to, say, something in the high 90s like it very easily could have been. A passing shower or storm throughout the day could also help knock down some humidity.
Even with practicing outdoors in the Indiana heat all summer long, there is just no way to simulate the kind of temperatures that are possible in Texas in the summertime. Playing in excessive heat when you aren’t used to it takes some time to acclimate, and in an ideal world, Notre Dame would start fast on Saturday. That’s more likely with temperatures in the mid-80s instead of the high 90s or higher.
Notre Dame still has much more to conquer on Saturday, even if they won’t have to tackle the heat as much. The Irish will have one of their least experienced offensive lines in years, a new offense playing its first game, and essentially a new wide receiving corps catching passes from a new quarterback who missed a good chunk of spring ball. That said, I’d be shocked if the Notre Dame coaching staff didn’t at least breathe a little sigh of relief when they saw the forecast for Saturday.
