What happens if a college football game is canceled due to weather? Taking a look at the NCAA rules

College football is an important part of the fall weekend as many fans anticipate seeing their favorite team play. Watching a football game at the collegiate level, whether at the stadium or on television, offers supreme excitement with an atmosphere that is comparable to none.

While college football games often go as scheduled, they sometimes do not. Weather can be a strong factor in causing the delay or cancellation of a game. With tight scheduling in the college football calendar, situations can be different when deciding the fate of a canceled game.

If it's a non-conference game, it might just be canceled and not get rescheduled as the matchups are deemed less important. However, conference games can have an impact on a team's seasons and this often results in rescheduling or moving the game to a safe venue.

Non-conference game cancellation in college football

A non-conference game getting canceled is usually not a major issue. Typically, these games involve a Power Five team facing a smaller school that is paid not so much to participate. In such cases, the home team might still honor the guarantee payment despite the cancellation.

However, it’s worth noting that most non-conference game contracts in college football include a clause addressing bad weather. Generally, teams can withdraw from a game without facing financial penalties if the weather conditions don’t allow the game to go on as scheduled.

Nonetheless, there’s been a history of litigation issues after a team decided to pull out of a non-league game due to unfavorable weather conditions. Despite the terms of the contract allowing cancellation, Arkansas State sued Miami for pulling out of a game in 2017.

The case for a conference game cancellation

Iowa State at Kansas State - Source: Getty

Conference games are inherently more complex to deal with, as their cancellation or disruption can have far-reaching effects on multiple teams.

It could potentially impact the standings and scheduling of a conference rather than just affecting the two teams directly involved. It could even have postseason implications for an entire conference, making cancellation due to weather a serious issue for league games.

Due to tight scheduling, what happens after a conference game is canceled due to weather can be unpredictable. College football teams often push to get it rescheduled or relocated but this isn’t always possible in every scenario.

Situations are more complicated when weather delays a game already in progress. Teams generally aim to complete the game no matter what, often enduring lengthy delays if necessary to ensure the game is finished and the outcome is determined.