The CFP Championship is set to kick off in roughly an hour from Houston at NRG Stadium, the home of the Houston Texans.
The weather in the Houston area has been awful all day with a Tornado watch in effect, and win and rain battering down on the city.
In a wild video that came out as the Michigan Wolverines and Washington Huskies started to take the field for warmups, a video surfaced of the roof at NRG Stadium leaking with reports of fans having to enter the the venue early ahead of the CFP Championship because of the weather outside cancelling tailgate events and other pre-game activities.
Well, the roof is shut at NRG Stadium. But it’s also leaking… pic.twitter.com/o2WgJUBIxN
— Laine Higgins (@lainehiggins17) January 8, 2024
Sports Illustrated reporter Richard Johnson said a security guard at NRG stadium said they had never seen the roof leak in their four years working at the venue. He also noted Houston Texans GM Nick Caserio walked by, looked up at roof leaking and was “similarity puzzled.”
The weather has been a major issue for people getting to the game. According to ESPN, Jack , the father of Michigan coach Jim and Baltimore Ravens head coach John, is set to arrive right around kickoff because his flight was delayed due to storms.
Die-hard Michigan fan and Barstool owner Dave Portnoy also took to social media to explain why he wasn’t able to take a private jet and was forced to drive to Houston, due to the awful weather conditions in the area.
“A stormy night in Houston, roof is closed, there are reports there is potential leakage,” the ESPN crew said on the pregame show.
Will Weather Somehow Affect The CFP Championship?
If it was a clear night, there may have been a decision to leave the retractable roof at NRG open, but with a constant tornado watch and wind and rain hammering the Houston area throughout the day.
If these two teams had to play in those conditions? The Michigan Wolverines would be the clear favorite as they play in the Big Ten and are used to playing in rain, snow and adverse conditions with an old-school brand of football based on running the ball, controlling the clock and playing stiff defense.
The Washington Huskies rely on one of the best wide receiving corps in college football, but they play a West Coast style of football — based on utilizing the versatility and arm of their Heisman runner-up QB Michael Penix and throwing the football all over the field with big, explosive plays.
It’s highly improbable the weather gets bad enough to affect the Championship, but if a small leak became bigger or a tornado watch turned into an actual tornado, it would absolutely put a damper on the game.
Officials will be monitoring the weather throughout the night to make sure everyone in attendance is safe throughout the game. There have been lighting delays that have delayed plenty of college football games in the past, but with an indoor venue, a minor leak shouldn’t impact the game at all.
Still, NRG stadium has been affected by bad weather in the past, so it’s safe to say officials aren’t taking the adverse weather conditions lightly.
On the night of September 12–13, 2008 the stadium sustained damage from Hurricane Ike forcing the Houston Texans home opener scheduled for September 14 to be postponed. Part of the roof cladding came off, and there was wind and water damage to other sections of the stadium. There were also large pieces of debris inside the stadium from the hurricane and the stadium authority declared that the stadium did not suffer significant structural damage except for the roof, and the Texans would be able to play all of their 8 home games at Reliant Stadium with the roof open.
The Texans’ home opener against the Baltimore Ravens was initially postponed one day from Sunday, September 14, 2008, to Monday, September 15, but when the extent of the damage from Hurricane Ike became known, the NFL rescheduled the Texans-Ravens game to week 10 (November 9, 2008).
