Warm-ups were cleared to resume at 3:35 p.m. at Bryant-Denny Stadium, with kickoff reset to 4:15 p.m. after the weather delay ended.
Lightning within eight miles of the stadium repeatedly restarted the NCAA's 30-minute clock, with strikes logged at 1:59, 2:10, 2:20, 2:30 and 2:42 p.m.
Pregame was first suspended at 1:41 p.m., and players left the field while fans were allowed to remain in the stands during the delay.
The stoppage hit about an hour before the scheduled start of the No. 10 Alabama-Florida State matchup, a rematch of last season's opener that Florida State won 31-17.