Rather than a hindrance to academic success. the opportunity to play in a postseason tournament football game on national television may nudge student athletes to keep their grades up and remain academically eligible.(Credit: Getty Images)

College football is a uniquely American tradition. Each weekend, hundreds of thousands of fans converge on campuses across the country, firing up grills in parking lots, gathering with friends and family and streaming into stadiums to cheer on their teams.

But extreme late-summer heat waves are threatening to change the way that tradition is experienced, particularly during the early weeks of the season. Rising temperatures and humidity are already prompting safety delays and, in some cases, sending fans to the hospital.

South Carolina’s 2026 season opener, for example, had its fourth quarter trimmed by 10 minutes because the heat index inside Williams-Brice Stadium spiked to a record 110 degrees. Emergency services and fire crews responded to more than 700 heat-related incidents.

These impacts are likely to become more common as climate change drives more frequent and intense heat waves. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average rate of extreme heat events increased from two per year in the 1960s to ten per year between 2010 and 2020.

Jonathan Casper, a professor in the parks, recreation, and tourism management department at North Carolina State University, studies how environmental and sustainability challenges influence the way sports are organized, experienced and practiced.

Here, Casper digs into the impact of extreme heat on college football fans and how universities can adapt to keep the game-day experience safe and enjoyable: