College football venue data
The Coldest College Football Stadiums: 7,249 Games of Temperature Data
By OverUnderWeather Research Desk
November college football is a different sport in the Upper Midwest and the Mountain West. We ranked 117 FBS venues by average kickoff temperature across 7,249 outdoor games (2016–2025): Minnesota's Huntington Bank Stadium is the coldest, and freezing games score 6 points less — though the betting market already knows it.
The short answer
Huntington Bank Stadium (Minnesota): 54.9°F average kickoff temperature across 66 outdoor games.
16.2°F — Iowa at Minnesota, Nov 19, 2022. Final score 13-10, total 23 points.
Freezing games (≤32°F) average 49.5 points vs 55.6 in 50°F+ weather — a significant 6.2-point drop (p = 0.0002).
Cold genuinely cuts scoring, but freezing games finish only 0.9 points under the closing total — the market prices it in.
The 20 coldest college football stadiums
Average kickoff temperature at each venue across all outdoor games in our database (2016–2025). Only venues with at least 40 games are ranked. Tap a venue for its live game-time forecast.
| # | Stadium | Team | Avg temp | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Bank Stadium | Minnesota | 54.9°F | 66 |
| 2 | Waldo Stadium | Western Michigan | 55.6°F | 55 |
| 3 | War Memorial Stadium | Wyoming | 55.8°F | 60 |
| 4 | Beaver Stadium | Penn State | 56.0°F | 67 |
| 5 | Albertsons Stadium | Boise State | 56.3°F | 63 |
| 6 | Rynearson Stadium | Eastern Michigan | 56.4°F | 55 |
| 7 | Kelly/Shorts Stadium | Central Michigan | 56.8°F | 54 |
| 8 | Rice-Eccles Stadium | Utah | 56.9°F | 59 |
| 9 | Spartan Stadium | Michigan State | 57.1°F | 63 |
| 10 | Maverik Stadium | Utah State | 57.2°F | 58 |
| 11 | Michigan Stadium | Michigan | 57.6°F | 67 |
| 12 | Camp Randall Stadium | Wisconsin | 57.6°F | 64 |
| 13 | InfoCision Stadium | Akron | 57.7°F | 53 |
| 14 | Ryan Field (1926) | Northwestern | 57.9°F | 50 |
| 15 | Huskie Stadium | Northern Illinois | 58.1°F | 54 |
| 16 | Kidd Brewer Stadium | Appalachian State | 58.2°F | 61 |
| 17 | Martin Stadium | Washington State | 58.2°F | 60 |
| 18 | Husky Stadium | Washington | 58.2°F | 65 |
| 19 | Folsom Field | Colorado | 58.3°F | 58 |
| 20 | Alumni Stadium | Boston College | 58.6°F | 64 |
The list is dominated by the Big Ten's northern tier and the Mountain West — Minnesota, Western Michigan and Wyoming lead, with Penn State's Beaver Stadium the coldest of the traditional powers. Several of these venues also rank among the highest-elevation stadiums, where mountain cold and thin air compound each other.
The 10 coldest games in our database
| Temp | Date | Game | Venue | Total pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16.2°F | Nov 19, 2022 | Iowa at Minnesota | Huntington Bank Stadium | 23 |
| 18.0°F | Dec 4, 2016 | San Diego State at Wyoming | War Memorial Stadium | 51 |
| 18.4°F | Nov 12, 2019 | Eastern Michigan at Akron | InfoCision Stadium | 56 |
| 18.9°F | Nov 20, 2022 | Texas Tech at Iowa State | Jack Trice Stadium | 24 |
| 19.2°F | Nov 17, 2018 | Air Force at Wyoming | War Memorial Stadium | 62 |
| 19.8°F | Nov 20, 2022 | Colorado State at Air Force | Falcon Stadium | 36 |
| 20.0°F | Dec 1, 2019 | Colorado at Utah | Rice-Eccles Stadium | 60 |
| 20.3°F | Dec 12, 2020 | Utah at Colorado | Folsom Field | 59 |
| 20.8°F | Nov 30, 2024 | Nebraska at Iowa | Kinnick Stadium | 23 |
| 21.2°F | Nov 29, 2019 | Boise State at Colorado State | Canvas Stadium | 55 |
The coldest game on record — Iowa at Minnesota at 16.2°F — produced just 23 total points. But cold alone does not guarantee a slugfest: Air Force at Wyoming at 19.2°F finished 45-17. Wind, game script and the teams involved still matter more than the thermometer alone.
Does cold weather cut scoring? Yes — by about 6 points
| Group | Games | Avg total points | vs closing total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freezing (≤32°F) | 120 | 49.5 | -0.9 (not significant) |
| Mild (≥50°F) | 6,125 | 55.6 | baseline |
The raw effect is real and statistically solid: freezing games score 6.2 points less than mild-weather games (Welch t = -3.85, p = 0.0002, Cohen's d = -0.35). Cold hands, a harder football, and conservative fourth-quarter play-calling in late November all push scoring down.
But the betting market already adjusts. Freezing games finished just 0.9 points under their closing totals on average — statistically indistinguishable from zero (p = 0.52). A cold forecast alone is not an edge; it is already in the number.
What actually changes in a freezing game
- Passing games suffer first — cold hands and a hard ball cut completion rates and increase drops.
- Kicking regresses: the ball does not compress or carry, and long field goals get shorter.
- Running-heavy teams and option offenses (Army, Air Force) are built for it — their November home games are genuinely different contests.
- Wind often matters more than cold — see our windiest college football stadiums guide.
Before a late-season game at any of these venues, check the live college football weather desk for kickoff-time temperature, wind and precipitation.
Related college football weather guides
Method and sources
All 7,249 outdoor regular-season FBS games in our database (2016–2025) with ERA5 kickoff-hour temperatures at each stadium's coordinates. Venue ranking requires at least 40 games; 117 venues qualify. Scoring comparisons use Welch's t-test; groups under 40 observations are labelled directional only. Closing-total comparison covers the 120 freezing games with a recorded closing line. Data queried 11 October 2026. By the OverUnderWeather Research Desk.
Where this is applied
These findings feed the game-time read on every College Football venue page, using the same sample-size and significance rules published here.
OverUnderWeather Research Desk
Independent data analysis on public sports and weather records. Studies match historical game outcomes to archived game-window weather, apply pre-set sample and significance rules, and publish null results when that is what the data show. Editorial policy and corrections log.
Cite this research
Free to republish with a visible credit and a link to this page. Ready-made citations below — click to copy.
Frequently asked
What is the coldest college football stadium?
By average kickoff temperature across 7,249 outdoor games since 2016, Minnesota's Huntington Bank Stadium is the coldest FBS venue at 54.9°F, ahead of Western Michigan's Waldo Stadium (55.6°F) and Wyoming's War Memorial Stadium (55.8°F). The single coldest game in our database was Iowa at Minnesota on November 19, 2022, at 16.2°F.
Does cold weather lower scoring in college football?
Yes. Games played at 32°F or below averaged 49.5 total points versus 55.6 in games at 50°F or warmer — a 6.2-point gap that is statistically significant (Welch t = -3.85, p = 0.0002) across 120 freezing games. Cold hands, harder footballs and conservative late-season play-calling all contribute.
Do betting totals account for cold weather?
Largely, yes. Freezing games in our data finished just 0.9 points below their closing totals on average — not statistically different from zero (p = 0.52). The market prices the cold in, so a low temperature alone is not a betting edge.
Why are the coldest stadiums mostly in the Big Ten and Mountain West?
Geography and schedule. Upper Midwest and Mountain West venues play November football in genuine winter conditions, and college schedules run later into the cold season than most fans realise. Elevation adds to it — Wyoming, Utah, Colorado State and Air Force combine mountain cold with thin air.
Is cold or wind worse for college football scoring?
In our data, strong wind is the bigger factor: strong-wind games scored about 4 points less, and our wind study found the strongest sustained effects. Cold cuts scoring by more per game (6.2 points at freezing), but far fewer games are played at 32°F or below than in strong wind.