82 Days: Primetime Polarization - Are Friday Night Home Games Good for Kansas Football?

For the third straight season, Kansas will play a home game on a Friday night. While the exposure for a national broadcast is great, is it really worth the hassle?

© Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Editor's Note: As noted in the article below, the opener has been moved back from August 31st to September 1st, so today is correctly a "second" 82 days until the start of the season.

This upcoming season, the Kansas Jayhawks football program is keeping up a recent tradition, but also doing something that they haven't done since the 1995 season. On Thursday afternoon, the football program announced that their week 2 game against the Illinois Fighting Illini had been moved up a day to Friday, Sept 8th.

🚨 Week 2 in Primetime 🚨

Kansas vs. Illinois
Friday, Sep. 8 • 6:30 PM • ESPN2
David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium

More → https://t.co/Scpu8KLHAG pic.twitter.com/CbfGLZwbOv

— Kansas Football (@KU_Football) June 8, 2023

It marks the first time that the Jayhawks have hosted a nationally televised game on a week night since the TCU Horned Frogs came to town on September 14, 1995.

Getting this broadcast is a big deal for the Jayhawks, as they look to build further on last season's 6-7 record and appearance in the Liberty Bowl. The excitement around the program is palpable. The expectations have been elevated for the year. And being able to play on the TV of millions across the nation (and in sports bars) as the lead in for the second week of the season is nothing to discount.

As Athletic Direct Travis Goff noted on Twitter, this is an important game for the Jayhawks and one that will need to be supported by everyone associated with the program, including fans.

Been a long time since the call came to put @KU_Football in primetime. Strong indication that the tide has turned. Now it’s up to all of us -me and our entire admin, Lance and staff, AND our fans- to make sure we never go backward. It’s a MUST we fill the Booth on 9/8 & all fall! https://t.co/NkI5tuEMzH

— Travis Goff (@tgoff11) June 8, 2023

I have some issues with Friday night home games in general, but I can understand the appeal of taking up the slot usually reserved for high school football games to benefit from some national exposure and get in the living rooms of fans and kids that wouldn't otherwise watch your team.

But buried in the announcement about the Illinois matchup was a small note that the August 31st opener against Missouri State had been moved back a day to "help accomodate the move" of the Week 2 game. That means that for the third season straight, the Jayhawks will open the season on Friday night, conflicting with local high school teams and preventing potential recruits from coming on visits.

The lack of visits during the opener may not have been a big deal for this team, as I wasn't aware of any recruits planning on coming for a visit either then or during week 2. But those could have potentially been big dates for showcasing the passion of the fanbase with an official (or unofficial) visit to campus for the game. But that's impossible now.

The bigger deal would be for anyone that has relatives involved in high school football. While I didn't play football in high school, I was in the marching band. We played during halftime of home games, and often traveled to the away games to play in the stands. So anyone in a similar situation for any of the local high schools is now no longer able to attend, making a sellout harder to manage.

You could say that the movement of the opener was no big deal, since it was already scheduled for a weekday. But a Thursday game is a lot easier to work around than a Friday game, especially early in the season. Thursday Night Football hasn't started yet in the NFL. High school players are typically able to come cheer on the local team, or at least their parents are. And the coverage of the college team doesn't interfere with local coverage on one of the busiest nights of the week.

In all, I'm excited to see the Jayhawks get the recognition that they deserve. I know that I will be involved in covering both of those games, no matter what day they take place. But I also understand the difficulty that Friday night games put on anyone involved in high school sports. It's concerning to see Friday night games become the norm early in the season, and hope that they get reserved for the rare opportunities for national exposure.