NCAA, NFL Football Weather Forecast: California Soaking, Blustery Northeast

Some NCAA and NFL football games may face interesting weather this weekend, despite there not being a major storm in play.

Let's start with a pair of top-25 NCAA games where the weather could play a role Saturday.

No. 21 Iowa at No. 17 USC

(3:30 p.m. ET at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum)

After three home games in a row, the Iowa Hawkeyes will hit the road, taking on the Southern California Trojans in Los Angeles.

You'd think that would be great news for the Hawkeyes, after shivering through a wet, last-second loss at home to Oregon last Saturday. Some California sunshine and warmth would cure any hangover from last weekend, right?

Welp, so much for that idea. The forecast is looking pretty bleak. Rain could be heavy at times and there may even be a lightning delay.

Keep in mind that the ground will be saturated after several days of rain, so watch for water ponding on the roads and keep an eye out for flooding if traveling to the game. Remember to pack the ponchos as umbrellas are not allowed inside the Coliseum.

There is some potential good news for the Hawkeyes. Perhaps a wet field could play better to the Hawkeyes' more classic Big Ten, low-scoring style?

(FULL FORECAST: Los Angeles, California)

UCLA at No. 1 Ohio State

(7:30 p.m. ET at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio)

Fortunately, this one isn't in Southern California, where the aforementioned rival Trojans will be soaked.

But while we're not expecting a complete washout at "The Horseshoe" Saturday night, the timing of a cold front could fire up a line of showers, perhaps even a rumble of thunder, around kickoff or shortly after.

That might lead to a brief lightning delay, but that activity should shift south of Columbus by the second half, if not sooner. If you're going to the game, bring rain gear, just in case.

We're not expecting heavy rainfall totals, so the main impact on the game may be gusty winds, shifting from southwest to northwest. That could wreak a bit of havoc on any longer passes, longer field goal attempts, punts and kickoffs.

(FULL FORECAST: Columbus, Ohio)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Buffalo Bills

(1 p.m. ET at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York)

Last May, we examined the NFL schedule to find out which teams had the potential warmest, coldest, wettest and snowiest outdoor games, based on average weather.

True to November in Buffalo, it looks to be windy and chilly with a chance of rain or snow showers during the game.

Potential fantasy impacts: Look, the Bills are used to playing in these conditions and have the league's second-ranked offense by yards per game. If the wind is too strong, they can dink and dunk their way down the field, instead of throwing 15-plus yard passes into a stiff wind. But they may lean on their league-leading rushing attack led by James Cook III.

The Bucs are a quandary this week. Baker Mayfield is an MVP candidate, with only two interceptions this year. He also spent the first four years of his career battling the elements as the Browns' starting quarterback, so these conditions aren't foreign to him. But these strong, chilly winds and perhaps some rain or snow could be a bit much to battle.

And while Bucs kicker Chase McLaughlin has already nailed a 65-yard field goal earlier this season, I would probably steer clear of either kicker in this game, given the winds.

(FULL FORECAST: Orchard Park, New York)

Green Bay Packers at New York Giants

(1 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey)

Here we have two teams that need to get off the mat. The Giants just fired their head coach after blowing another late lead in windy Chicago last Sunday. The Packers' offense is both banged up and as cold as this past week's arctic outbreak.

Enter the swirling winds of MetLife Stadium. West to northwest winds could be quite stiff on Sunday afternoon. While temperatures will likely fall during the afternoon, it won't be that cold, and any sprinkles or light showers that happen won't be of much consequence.

Potential fantasy impacts: For one team with a struggling offense (Green Bay) and another with a backup quarterback (New York), a windy day doesn't help. If you have better options, I would steer clear of either quarterback and their wide receivers.

This might be a day to establish the run as much as possible and just go with short checkdown passes.

And consider other options for kickers. It's going to be a challenge hitting any 40-plus-yard field goals in this wind.

(FULL FORECAST: East Rutherford, New Jersey)

Otherwise, all the wet weather in the West won't affect the NFL schedule.

The marquee matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and L.A. Rams should be under protective cover assuming any lingering Sunday showers don't blow into parts of SoFi Stadium, as has happened in the past.

Also, the San Francisco 49ers will be playing indoors at State Farm Stadium in Glendale against the Arizona Cardinals.

Tiffany Savona is a meteorologist for weather.com with more than 15 years of experience in forecasting the weather across the country.

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.