THE WEATHER REPORT
How winter conditions could impact select NFL, college football games
Stephen Uzick
Nov 9, 2018, 11:26 am
Winter is coming to football. Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
This weekend a blast of winter will envelop the Central and Eastern parts of the country making for some very cold football games. Due to this I have expanded the coverage to include notable college games this weekend. With the NFL slate there are not any games that will be affected by the usual suspects of rain, wind or snow – however I am including a few games where the cold may have an impact only because the visiting team will be somewhat of a fish out of water. Lets dive in:
Saints @ Bengals (noon Sunday) – Temperatures in Cincinnati will be in the mid to low 40s for this game. I am only mentioning it due to the fact that as a southern dome team the Saints are not accustomed to playing in these conditions. However, the Saints seem to be such a well-oiled machine with a formidable ground game that the impact of temperatures will likely be negligible.
Falcons @ Browns (noon Sunday) - The temperature will be hovering in the upper 30s with the windchill right at 30 degrees for this game in Cleveland. Similar to the game I mentioned above the Falcons, like the Saints, are not accustomed to these conditions. However the fact that they are playing the Browns may help offset some of the detriment of the cold temperatures.
Dolphins @ Packers (3:25 PM Sunday) – This is the ultimate fish out of water game. The tundra of Lambeau will be living up to its name with game time temperatures in the mid to low 30s with a small chance of snow. Due to these conditions and the Dolphin’s talent level I believe the cold will have a real impact here. To Aaron Rodgers these conditions are likely downright refreshing, but for the Dolphins it will likely be quite a shock to the system. Look for the Dolphins to try to keep it on the ground as much as possible, especially with Osweiler under center.
College Special
I have highlighted too many games here to give individual breakdowns but below you will find a summary of the notable conditions so that you can make or adjust any wagers accordingly. Take note – wind will be an issue at many games on Saturday.
TCU @ West Virginia – Mid to low 30s. Slight chance of snow. Wind 14 MPH gusting to 25 MPH.
Ohio State @ Michigan State – Low 30s. Chance of snow early in the game. Wind 17 MPH gusting to 30 MPH.
Wisconsin @ Penn State – Mid 30s. Wind 15 MPH gusting to 40 MPH.
Baylor @ Iowa State – Temperature in the upper 20s with a windchill in the upper teens.
Virginia Tech @ Pitt – Mid 30s. Chance of snow. Wind 16 MPH gusting to 35 MPH.
Purdue @ Minnesota – Temperatures in the upper 20s with a chance of snow late.
Temple @ Houston – Low 50s with rain.
Florida State @ Notre Dame – Temperature in the mid 20s.
Texas @ Texas Tech – Mid 40s. Wind 14 to 20 MPH.
Clemson @ Boston College – Upper 30s. Wind 15 MPH gusting to 45 MPH.
If you are looking for information on any other games feel free to reach me on Twitter @stephenuzick.
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Astros keep doing this, and it’s getting hard to ignore
Jun 25, 2025, 10:01 pm
While the rolling Astros have a week of possible World Series preview matchups against the Phillies and Cubs, it’s the Rockets who made the biggest local sports headline with their acquisition of Kevin Durant. What a move! Of course there is risk involved in trading for a guy soon to turn 37 years old and who carries an injury history, but balancing risk vs. reward is a part of the game. This is a fabulous move for the Rockets. It’s understood that there are dissenters to this view. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, including people with the wrong opinion! Let’s dig in.
The Rockets had a wonderful season in winning 52 games before their disappointing first-round playoff loss to the Warriors, but like everyone else in the Western Conference, they were nowhere close to Oklahoma City’s caliber. While they finished second in the West, the Rockets only finished four games ahead of the play-in. That letting the stew simmer with further growth among their young players would yield true championship contention was no given for 2025-26 or beyond.
Kevin Durant is one of the 10 greatest offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Among his current contemporaries only Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic make that list. For instance, Durant offensively has clearly been better than the late and legendary Kobe Bryant. To view it from a Houston perspective, Durant has been an indisputably greater offensive force than the amazing Hakeem Olajuwon. But this is not a nostalgia trip in which the Rockets are trading for a guy based on what he used to be. While Durant could hit the wall at any point, living in fear that it’s about to happen is no way to live because KD, approaching his 18th NBA season, is still an elite offensive player.
As to the durability concern, Durant played more games (62) this past season than did Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith, and Tari Eason. The season before he played more games (75) than did VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and Alperen Sengun. In each of the last two seasons Durant averaged more minutes per game (36.9) than any Rocket. That was stupid and/or desperate of the Suns, the Rockets will be smarter. Not that the workload eroded Durant’s production or efficiency. Over the two seasons he averaged almost 27 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor, 42 percent from behind the three-point line, and 85 percent from the free throw line. Awesomeness. The Rockets made the leap to being a very good team despite a frankly crummy half-court offense. The Rockets ranked 21st among the 30 NBA teams in three-point percentage, and dead last in free throw percentage. Amen Thompson has an array of skills and looks poised to be a unique star. Alas, Thompson has no credible jump shot. VanVleet is not a creator, Smith has limited handle. Adding Durant directly addresses the Rockets’ most glaring weakness.
The price the Rockets paid was in the big picture, minimal, unless you think Jalen Green is going to become a bonafide star. Green is still just 23 years old and spectacular athletically, but nothing he has done over four pro seasons suggests he’s on the cusp of greatness. In no season has Green even shot the league average from the floor or from three. His defense has never been as good as it should be given his athleticism. Compared to some other two-guards who made the NBA move one year removed from high school, four seasons into his career Green is waaaaaay behind where Shae Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker were four seasons in, and now well behind his draft classmate Cade Cunningham. Dillon Brooks was a solid pro in two seasons here and shot a career-best from three in 2024-2025, but he’s being replaced by Kevin Durant! In terms of the draft pick capital sent to Phoenix, five second round picks are essentially meaningless. The Rockets have multiple extra first round picks in the coming years. As for the sole first-rounder dealt away, whichever player the Rockets would have taken 10th Wednesday night would have been rather unlikely to crack the playing rotation.
VanVleet signs extension
Re-signing Fred VanVleet to a two-year, 50 million dollar guarantee is sensible. In a vacuum, VanVleet was substantially overpaid at the over 40 mil he made per season the last two. He’s a middle-of-the-pack starting point guard. But his professionalism and headiness brought major value to the Rockets’ kiddie corps while their payroll was otherwise very low. Ideally, Reed Sheppard makes a leap to look like an NBA lead guard in his second season, after a pretty much zippo of a rookie campaign. Sheppard is supposed to be a lights-out shooter. For the Rockets to max out, they need two sharpshooters on the court to balance Thompson’s presence.
For Astro-centric conversation, join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday. Click here to catch!
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