Gerald J. Ford Stadium, University Park

Gerald J. Ford Stadium: 7:30 pm Saturdays score 92, 3:30 pm Saturdays 79

Home of SMU · ACC · capacity 32,000 · Turf

84 is Mixed, and most stadiums score higher.

How the rank works

All 167 stadiums with eight seasons of regular-season Saturdays are ranked by their weather score across every kickoff time, highest first; 1st is the most pleasant. A season can swing a score by 2 to 3 points, so allowing for year-to-year noise (about two chances in three) it ranks between 128th and 150th.

Show a month

All Saturdays

  • noon: 81, Mixed
  • 3:30 pm: 79, Mixed
  • 7:30 pm: 92, Comfortable

Weather score at each kickoff time.

September

In September at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, a 7:30 pm Saturday scores 86 and a 3:30 pm Saturday 59.

  • noon: 62, Rough
  • 3:30 pm: 59, Rough
  • 7:30 pm: 86, Mixed

Weather score at each kickoff time.

October

In October at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, a 7:30 pm Saturday scores 97 and a 3:30 pm Saturday 82.

  • noon: 84, Mixed
  • 3:30 pm: 82, Mixed
  • 7:30 pm: 97, Comfortable

Weather score at each kickoff time.

November

In November, kickoff time makes little difference in these Saturdays at Gerald J. Ford Stadium: scores run 94 to 96, all Comfortable.

  • noon: 96, Comfortable
  • 3:30 pm: 95, Comfortable
  • 7:30 pm: 94, Comfortable

Weather score at each kickoff time.

At kickoff, 114 regular-season Saturdays at each kickoff time, 2018 to 2025.

All Saturdays

Best kickoff time: 7:30 pm (92). Roughest kickoff time: noon and 3:30 pm (81 and 79).

September

Best kickoff time: 7:30 pm (86). Roughest kickoff time: 3:30 pm (59).

October

Best kickoff time: 7:30 pm (97). Roughest kickoff time: noon and 3:30 pm (84 and 82).

November

Little difference by kickoff time. Noon 96, 3:30 pm 95, 7:30 pm 94.

The roughest kickoff time is the lowest of the day's times. It can still be Mixed or Comfortable.

What goes with it

Share of Saturdays here that feel this way over the first 3 hours and 20 minutes after kickoff.

All Saturdays

Feel 85°F or hotter

noon32 in 100
3:30 pm38 in 100
7:30 pm18 in 100

September

Feel 85°F or hotter

noon74 in 100
3:30 pm82 in 100
7:30 pm53 in 100

October

Feel 85°F or hotter

noon26 in 100
3:30 pm34 in 100
7:30 pm3 in 100

November

At every kickoff time, fewer than 5 in 100 of November Saturdays here feel 85°F or hotter, and fewer than 5 in 100 feel under 32°F.

Weather score: 0 to 100, higher is better. Ideal is 100, Comfortable 90 to 99, Mixed 75 to 89, Rough 50 to 74, Harsh under 50.

Across all Saturdays, Gerald J. Ford Stadium ties for the lowest score among ACC stadiums

All Saturdays

  1. California Memorial Stadium (California): 97, Comfortable
  2. Stanford Stadium (Stanford): 97, Comfortable
  3. Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium (Wake Forest): 92, Comfortable
  4. Memorial Stadium (Clemson): 92, Comfortable
  5. Scott Stadium (Virginia): 92, Comfortable
  6. Alumni Stadium (Boston College): 91, Comfortable
  7. Carter-Finley Stadium (NC State): 91, Comfortable
  8. Kenan Stadium (North Carolina): 91, Comfortable
  9. Lane Stadium (Virginia Tech): 91, Comfortable
  10. Wallace Wade Stadium (Duke): 91, Comfortable
  11. Bobby Dodd Stadium (Georgia Tech): 90, Comfortable
  12. Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh): 89, Mixed
  13. L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium (Louisville): 89, Mixed
  14. Doak Campbell Stadium (Florida State): 84, Mixed
  15. Gerald J. Ford Stadium (SMU): 84, Mixed

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Gerald J. Ford Stadium scores 84, tied for the lowest of the 15 ACC stadiums, with Doak Campbell Stadium (Florida State). Scores run 84 to 97.

Noon Saturdays

  1. California Memorial Stadium (California): 97, Comfortable
  2. Stanford Stadium (Stanford): 96, Comfortable
  3. Lane Stadium (Virginia Tech): 93, Comfortable
  4. Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium (Wake Forest): 92, Comfortable
  5. Alumni Stadium (Boston College): 92, Comfortable
  6. Scott Stadium (Virginia): 92, Comfortable
  7. Memorial Stadium (Clemson): 91, Comfortable
  8. Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh): 90, Comfortable
  9. Bobby Dodd Stadium (Georgia Tech): 89, Mixed
  10. Carter-Finley Stadium (NC State): 89, Mixed
  11. Kenan Stadium (North Carolina): 89, Mixed
  12. L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium (Louisville): 89, Mixed
  13. Wallace Wade Stadium (Duke): 89, Mixed
  14. Gerald J. Ford Stadium (SMU): 81, Mixed
  15. Doak Campbell Stadium (Florida State): 79, Mixed

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Gerald J. Ford Stadium scores 81, higher than 1, lower than 13 of the other 14 ACC stadiums. Scores run 79 to 97.

3:30 pm Saturdays

  1. California Memorial Stadium (California): 97, Comfortable
  2. Stanford Stadium (Stanford): 95, Comfortable
  3. Lane Stadium (Virginia Tech): 91, Comfortable
  4. Scott Stadium (Virginia): 91, Comfortable
  5. Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium (Wake Forest): 90, Comfortable
  6. Alumni Stadium (Boston College): 90, Comfortable
  7. Memorial Stadium (Clemson): 90, Comfortable
  8. Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh): 88, Mixed
  9. Carter-Finley Stadium (NC State): 88, Mixed
  10. Kenan Stadium (North Carolina): 88, Mixed
  11. Wallace Wade Stadium (Duke): 88, Mixed
  12. Bobby Dodd Stadium (Georgia Tech): 87, Mixed
  13. L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium (Louisville): 86, Mixed
  14. Gerald J. Ford Stadium (SMU): 79, Mixed
  15. Doak Campbell Stadium (Florida State): 78, Mixed

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Gerald J. Ford Stadium scores 79, higher than 1, lower than 13 of the other 14 ACC stadiums. Scores run 78 to 97.

7:30 pm Saturdays

  1. Stanford Stadium (Stanford): 98, Comfortable
  2. California Memorial Stadium (California): 97, Comfortable
  3. Bobby Dodd Stadium (Georgia Tech): 95, Comfortable
  4. Carter-Finley Stadium (NC State): 95, Comfortable
  5. Doak Campbell Stadium (Florida State): 95, Comfortable
  6. Kenan Stadium (North Carolina): 95, Comfortable
  7. Memorial Stadium (Clemson): 95, Comfortable
  8. Wallace Wade Stadium (Duke): 95, Comfortable
  9. Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium (Wake Forest): 94, Comfortable
  10. Scott Stadium (Virginia): 93, Comfortable
  11. Gerald J. Ford Stadium (SMU): 92, Comfortable
  12. L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium (Louisville): 92, Comfortable
  13. Lane Stadium (Virginia Tech): 90, Comfortable
  14. Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh): 89, Mixed
  15. Alumni Stadium (Boston College): 89, Mixed

Tap a dot to read the stadium.

Gerald J. Ford Stadium scores 92, higher than 3, lower than 10 and level with 1 of the other 14 ACC stadiums. Scores run 89 to 98.

One dot per stadium: 15 ACC stadiums. Every ACC stadium by month.

More about Gerald J. Ford Stadium

A boutique thirty-two thousand on the Hilltop in Highland Park, ivy on the brick, Peruna out front.

The table behind this page
Weather score by part of the season and kickoff time, Gerald J. Ford Stadium.
SeasonNoon3:30 pm7:30 pm
All Saturdays817992
September625986
October848297
November969594
Saturdays counted114114114
How this is measured

The score covers the first 3 hours and 20 minutes after kickoff, averaged over every regular-season Saturday from late August to early December, 2018 to 2025, using the nearest airport’s readings, not the stands. Shade, delays and smoke are not in it. Scores within about 2 points are effectively tied. It describes what these Saturdays were like. It is not a forecast and it says nothing about home advantage.

Weather observations: National Weather Service, through the Iowa Environmental Mesonet at Iowa State University. Weather score version 2.2.