The Coldest NCAA Football Games Ever Played

Most college athletes would agree to play in slightly sunny or overcast weather, but they all must learn to endure the harsh colds, especially during the end of the season. The NCAAF season begins in August, with playoffs running into January, so it’s no surprise that these players will be playing in some bitterly cold conditions.

In this article, we’ll highlight five of the coldest college football games ever (two of which are tied for first), and give you a few details about how the games played out.

5=: December 30th, 1999 – Humanitarian Bowl, 20 degrees 

Kicking it off our list is the 1999 Humanitarian Bowl which happened in Boise, Idaho. The game between the Louisville Cardinals and Boise State Broncos would reach a low temp of 20 degrees Fahrenheit in the chilly Bronco Stadium.

By the end of this game, the Broncos would edge the win with a fourth-quarter touchdown, winning 34-31 and making it out of the freezing temperatures with the W.

5=: January 3rd, 2004 – Humanitarian Bowl, 20 degrees

Five years later, at Broncos Stadium, the post-New Year game would have fans and players missing the heat. This time, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets would face an easily crucible Tulsa Golden Hurricanes. The match wasn’t even close, as the Yellow Jackets would destroy the Golden Hurricanes in a 52-10 rout, seemingly unaffected by the 20-degree weather, the same temperature as the 1999 game!

So two editions of the Humanitarian Bowl proved to be particularly icy, but there are even more bone-chilling bowls to come.

3: December 15th, 1962 – Gotham Bowl, 14 degrees

Next is the 62-year-old Gotham Bowl match in New York City, and in this one the Big Eight Nebraska Cornhuskers would face a challenging Miami Hurricanes, although Nebraska would ultimately win the match 36-34.

Both teams would be happy to head to locker rooms to change, as the weather outside dropped to 14 degrees Fahrenheit in the old-time Yankee Stadium.

1=: December 29th, 1983 – Liberty Bowl, 12 degrees

Tied for first place with the Bluegrass Bowl, the infamous 1983 Liberty Bowl was the coldest college ball game on record. This postseason game was played at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis Tennessee, where the Boston College Eagles would take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Before Notre Dame would finish off BC 19-18, they’d have to endure some of the most extreme colds in collegiate history, with temperatures at a shivering 12 degrees Fahrenheit. 

1=: December 13th, 1958 – Bluegrass Bowl, 12 degrees

Just 25 years earlier, from the frozen Liberty Bowl, the Louisville Kentucky Bluegrass Bowl would set the record for being the coldest NCAAF game since records began. The Oklahoma State Cowboys would beat a Florida State Seminoles team 15-6, although both teams would have to fight through the numbing cold.

Tied for first with the Liberty Bowl, the Cardinal Stadium game would also be recorded at an all-time low of 12 degrees, a climate no player wants to play in.