Michigan 45, Nebraska 7

[THE_WIZARD_]

Our D is solid...but will be put in bad situations once again...turnovers...field position...not good. M will play smashmouth football...and we aren't built to stop that. The 3-3-5 is a little tricky to block but I don't see M struggling much.

[Mike]

We won't score too many points because we play slooooooow. Against Rutgers the offense would run nearly every second off the play clock before the snapped the ball. It looks like a team running out the clock to end a game except that's our regular offense.

[THE_WIZARD_]

OK. Prediction amended.

HARBAUGH!!!!!!! 52 rhule? 3

[Jeff Buchanan]

Convincible but not yet convinced ........ I'll check with you when the half time score is 14-0, M. The third will end with the score 21-3, M. Neb will get a TD in the 4th during garbage time.......unless all the players are in the locker room getting IV hydration.

[lineygoblue]

Its going to be like a blast furnace. I didn't know it got that hot in Nebraska.

Wiz: Does the NCAA have hydration break rules? I've not seen them on TV if they do.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Well yes same principles as NFHS liney but with so many long breaks in CFB it's generally not needed. But the officials have discretion for hydration. Surface temps have been known to get to 130 degrees in Memorial...I recall a UNL-FSU game in LNK in 1985 where they recorded 130 degrees on the playing surface...that day I believe there were over 100 fans carted off by the Red Cross for heat exhaustion. But HARBAUGH!!!!!!! will overcome.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Wet Bulb Temperature is what will be monitored on the field Saturday. There is equipment that will provide a digital read-out of this figure. People often point to studies that theorized that a wet-bulb temperature of 95 F (35 C) – equal to a temperature of 95 F at 100% humidity, or 115 F at 50% humidity – would be the upper limit of safety, beyond which the human body can no longer cool itself by evaporating sweat from the surface of the body to maintain a stable body core temperature. It's the theoretical core temperature that is critical here.

Fans that vaporize water on the sidelines help to facilitate evaporative cooling of the skin and lower WBT but there is a point at which it becomes nearly impossible to keep core temps stabilized. Those are depicted on the graph below in the red zone.

WB Temp.jpg
You can see from the chart that as humidity increases with temperature constant, the WBT increases. For example, if the ambient field temp is 100 F, humidity at 60%, without evaporative cooling you're in the danger zone. Core temperatures become uncontrollable and heat stroke can occur when athletes stop sweating so, it's important to keep players under the fans and make sure they are sweating.

The USMC adapted WBT charts like this for Boot Camp to assign no PT for red flag conditions a long time ago, limited during yellow flag and unlimited during green flag conditions. As far as I know, it's up to the schools that have athletic departments to develop a uniform standard like the USMC has done to monitor field WBT conditions limit exertion and keep athletes safe. The best way to treat heat stroke in an athlete is ice-water emersion in a tub field side to lower core temperature then transport to nearest ER.

I also expect to see lots of leg cramps in these conditions and early trips to the locker room for IV hydration.

[lineygoblue]

We had times when we'd stop play after each change of posession to give water breaks. Especially where we were working on artificial turf fields. The only time those cool down is when the sun goes down. During one particular Saturday afternoon game we had a field temp of nearly 120 degrees, and I thought I was going to be out of it in the 2nd half. I'd stopped sweating and was having some heart arythmias. Fortunately at halftime they gave us all the Gatorade we needed, and I drank down about 2 - 28 oz bottles, and started sweating again. I finished the game, but I don't know how. I don't miss games like that. This game on Saturday isn't going to be enjoyable for anyone.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Again I recomend...for safety reasons...that M forfeit.

Think of the children.

[lineygoblue]

Agreed.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Thank you for seeing reason.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Seriously though, I could see canceling this game and rescheduling it because of the weather forecast calling for temperatures in the mid-90s and high humidity. The risk to athletes trying to play in these conditions isn't a lot different than recognized risks of playing under hurricane, tropical storm warnings or lightening.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Forfeit is the only way. Do it M.

[Mike]

It’s currently 56 degrees where I’m at (less than 8 hours from Lincoln). Will experience a 40 degree increase in temperature by this afternoon.

[WingsFan]

Finally found a credible weather report.


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