No. 10 Alabama and Florida State entered a weather delay during warmups at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 19, 2026, after lightning struck within an eight-mile radius. Kickoff was rescheduled for 4:15 p.m. CT with coverage on ABC, following repeated lightning strikes that repeatedly reset the NCAA-mandated 30-minute delay clock.
Lightning Strikes and Repeated Delays at Bryant-Denny Stadium
Pre-game routines for the matchup between No. 10 Alabama and Florida State ground to a halt when lightning was detected within eight miles of the stadium about an hour before the scheduled 2:30 p.m. CT start time. Under NCAA rules, any lightning strike within that eight-mile radius triggers an automatic 30-minute delay, with the timer restarting entirely with each subsequent strike. Teams must leave the field for a continuous 30 minutes without a strike before the game can be resumed.
Specialists warming up in full uniform were ordered off the field, and team sidelines were cleared as blue skies gave way to passing rain. Rain began at 1:49 p.m. As storms lingered in Tuscaloosa, repeated lightning detections forced officials to push back the timeline multiple times throughout the afternoon. Another lightning strike was detected at 2:10 p.m., followed by strikes at 2:20 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 2:42 p.m. Fans remained inside the stadium during the suspension, with many Alabama students choosing to stay in their seats and performing the Florida State war chant as rain fell on the turf.
Shelter Guidance and Timeline Adjustments
Fans were told they can remain in the stadium. Fans remain on the sideline during the lightning delay. UA Safety posted to social media that fans around the stadium were able to go to designated shelters at Autherine Lucy Hall, Drummond Lyon Hall and Lloyd Hall. Jeff Allen and Alabama’s training staff met with Florida State’s training staff on the sideline at 2:41 p.m. as the delay stretched past two hours, while fans in the stands reacted audibly to the repeated public address announcements resetting the clock.
Conditions improved later in the afternoon. Alabama meteorologist James Spann provided an update on social media indicating that storms had weakened and no additional lightning was expected as kickoff approached.
“Kickoff should be near or a little after 4 p.m.”
Meteorologist James Spann
Warm-ups were announced to start at 3:35 p.m. CT, with the game start time announced for 4:15 p.m. CT. Alabama football’s last weather delay was Sept. 16, 2023 when the Crimson Tide beat South Florida 17-3 on the road, which lasted about an hour.
Broadcast Details and Series Background
The matchup is broadcast nationally on ABC, with Sean McDonough handling play-by-play, Greg McElroy serving as analyst, and Katie George reporting from the sideline. A stream is available, and audio coverage is available via the Seminole Sports Network and SiriusXM Radio on Channel 269.
Florida State enters the contest with a 1-1 record on the season, including an 0-1 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play, under head coach Mike Norvell, who is 39-35 in seven seasons at FSU and 77-50 in 11 seasons as a head coach. FSU lost to then-No. 19 SMU on Monday, September 7th and then had a bye this past weekend. Norvell has five regular-season non-conference victories over SEC teams as Florida State’s head coach, the most by any coach over the SEC since 2020, and his six wins against the SEC since becoming a head coach in 2016 rank as the 2nd-highest non-conference win total over SEC teams in that span.
Alabama holds a 2-0 record on the season, including 1-0 in Southeastern Conference play, under head coach Kalen DeBoer, who is 22-8 in three seasons at Alabama and 126-20 in 12 seasons as a head coach. The Crimson Tide won at Kentucky, 45-17, last Saturday. The two programs met last season in Tallahassee, Fla., where the Seminoles defeated then-No. 8 Alabama 31-17. Saturday’s game with FSU marks the 31st instance since 2007 that the Crimson Tide has an opportunity to avenge a prior loss, having gone 26-4 in the prior 30 instances out of 37 total losses suffered by Alabama in that span. FSU is 2-3-1 all-time against the Crimson Tide, playing at Alabama for the first time since the 1974 season and standing 0-2 at Alabama. This marks the first time the two teams have met in consecutive seasons in the series. Alabama has won 89 consecutive games against unranked opponents at home, with its last loss to an unranked opponent at Bryant-Denny Stadium coming on November 17, 2007 in a 21-14 loss to ULM.
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