Why was North Carolina's season opener against Minnesota delayed by an hour?

North Carolina’s opening game against Minnesota is now set to kick off at 9 p.m. ET. The game, taking place at the TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, was originally scheduled for 8 p.m. ET but has been delayed by an hour due to severe weather conditions.

The weather forecast had earlier shown that Minneapolis was bound to experience storms on Thursday evening, creating some uncertainty around the game. The National Weather Service had given warnings in regards to thunderstorms that could take effect later on Thursday.

The latest forecast for the city of Minneapolis predicts a 90% chance of rain, with winds at 15 mph and potential gusts reaching 25 mph. Fortunately, the winds are expected to subside as the evening progresses and kickoff time approaches, making the one-hour delay a safe decision.

North Carolina at Minnesota might not be the only Week 1 game affected by thunderstorms

North Carolina’s game against Minnesota is not the only game expected to be affected by thunderstorms in Week 1. Quite a number of matchups across the country could experience something similar.

The National Weather Service has issued an extensive forecast for general thunderstorms across the country.

While these storms forecasted by the NWS aren't expected to be severe, the sheer scope of the forecast impacts nearly 70 games. Although this outlook doesn't indicate a complete washout in Week 1, many of the storm lines might not coincide with kickoff times.

Here’s a look at Week 1 games that could be affected by storms and heavy rainfall after North Carolina's game against Minnesota has been delayed by an hour:

Temple at Oklahoma

Virginia Tech at Vanderbilt

Kent State at Pitt (second half)

Penn State at West Virginia

Akron at Ohio State

UNLV at Houston

Sam Houston State at Rice

Southern Miss at Kentucky