![Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart tells the students section to calm down during the fourth quarter of an NCAA football game, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. Georgia held off Florida 24-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_231,w_6000,h_3375/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ReutersImages/mmsport/153/01m1cj3h85hd06ad924n.jpg "Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart tells the students section to calm down during the fourth quarter of an NCAA football game, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. Georgia held off Florida 24-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]")
Georgia football’s season opener typically has some high temperatures fans in the stands and players on the field have to deal with. This Saturday that heat could be taken to a new level as the Bulldogs week one matchup against Tennessee State could be one of the hottest games in program history.
Saturday's game with TN State in Athens will be one of the hottest actual air temps in Sanford Stadium history. The Euro is printing a 100.9 air temp at 2 pm and with a 3 pm start that is probably going to be that or just a bit higher. The GFS says 97.4. Prepare folks for an… pic.twitter.com/L7b8as3qv2
— NWGA Storm Dawg ✝️ (@NWGAStormDawgwx) August 30, 2026
Temperatures will be just north of 100 degrees at 2:00 pm EST on Saturday, and with the game beginning at 3:00 pm it could be even hotter than that. Temperatures on the field also tend to be higher than what the regular air temperature is, so this heat will challenge the teams on the field as well as the fans in the stands.
High heat could cause trouble for Georgia football and fans alike
Temperatures this hot can be extremely dangerous. That is especially the case for football players wearing pads and running up and down a field for three and a half hours. It can also be dangerous for the fans in the stands who will be baking in this heat for over three hours.
Heat is something that just comes with living in the south this time of the year. Every year there are days similar to this, but Georgia football hasn't had to play a game in heat like this that often in their history.
They however are prepared for this. They have had to endure fall camp the last few weeks where temperatures reached extreme levels just like this, so they will be prepared and ready to play through this heat while also trying to use it to their advantage.
Kirby Smart believes Georgia is prepared for extreme heat
Kirby Smart was asked about the predicted temperatures for Saturday's game, and he spoke about how they have prepared the team for this moment throughout fall camp.
”We practiced in it. We did get to scrimmage in it,” Kirby Smart said via 247Sports.com. “But I'll be interested to see as much about as our players as I do our fans. Let's see if they can handle it. See if you guys can handle it. You can get out of that air conditioning and be right here with us.”
It's likely impossible to be 100 percent prepared to play a football game in this much heat, but Georgia sounds as ready as they can realistically be. They have not only practiced in similar heat throughout the last few weeks, but one of their fall scrimmages had extreme heat just like this. They should be able to use that experience to their advantage because who knows if Tennessee State has ever seen heat like what is predicted.
Kirby Smart is experienced though. He and his staff know what they have to prepare their players for a game like this while keeping them safe. Georgia ultimately will be just fine playing in this heat, and as long as the game ends in a comfortable (and safe) victory then the extreme heat everyone is about to endure will be nothing more than a footnote on the season.
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