91 Days Until Kansas Football: Good and Bad From KU's Opening Game Times

The Jayhawks have released the times and broadcasts for the first three games of the season.

Sep 8, 2023; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; The Kansas Jayhawks offense huddles during the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports / Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

We’re getting close enough to the start of the college football season that teams and leagues are beginning to unveil details around their first games. For the Kansas Jayhawks, we now know the times and broadcasts for the first three games of the year. 

The first quarter of the schedule looks like this:

Game One: Thursday, August 29 | 7 p.m. vs Lindenwood – ESPN+

Game Two: Saturday, September 7 | 6 p.m. at Illinois – FS1

Game Three: Friday, September 13 | 6 p.m. vs UNLV –  ESPN

This announcement has come with a bit of mixed reaction online, and it’s understandable. Let’s look at both sides. 

The Good

Outside of the Lindenwood game against a team new to D-I football, Kansas is starting to get some respect from the national broadcasts for the non-conference slate. The game at Illinois is in a prime time and channel to draw some eyeballs on the Jayhawks early. And anytime you can get on the mothership of ESPN, you take it. 

This will be good for awareness of the program (especially if KU can win decisively) both now and moving forward. Recruits still want to know that they’re going to be seen – both by college football lovers at large and their families if they’re not from the area – and being able to sell a program that is playing on ESPN and FS1 for its non-conference isn’t nothing.  

The Bad

For those actually hoping to attend the games live, these aren’t the best in terms of convenience. Season-ticket holders or just fans hoping to take their families to early games are going to have to make bigger arrangements to travel up to Kansas City in time for a 6 p.m. kick on a Friday and then justify the school night for the opener on Thursday the 29th. Fans are already making some sacrifices to watch with KU not playing in Lawrence this year. This just adds to it.

Now, I’m not standing up talking about the horror of the scheduling. It’s not the end of the world by any stretch of the imagination. First-world problems, if you will. But this is an important season in many ways, both on the field and in the stands. 

It’s been talked about at length how Kansas’ embracing of football from the fans has to continue along with the financial and business moves of the university. Whether it’s for Lance Leipold or revenue for the university or the ongoing back and forth of conference realignment rumors, this is a big year to show that Kansas football is back. 

What an environment it will look like if Jayhawks pack Children’s Mercy Park and Arrowhead, taking over KC with a team on the rise. It could be a great look. It could also be an embarrassing one playing in front of a half-empty stadium. And it just seems like the timing of these initial games do much to help ensure it’s the former and not the latter. 

You take TV visibility whenever you can get it. Now Kansas just needs to make sure it gets students and fans to work around their schedules and make it as easy as possible to pack Children’s Mercy Park.