Kansas football: No fans, but at least first game will be on national TV

Kansas football’s first game of the season against Coastal Carolina will not be in front of fans, but it will be on national TV.

While fans may be split on whether or not the right choice was made in not allowing fans at Kansas football’s season opener against Coastal Carolina, at least most everyone should be able to watch the game live. That is, if you can stay up late enough for it.

The Jayhawks and Chanticleers are set to kick off on September 12 at 9:00 pm Central Time, which is pretty late to say the least. It’s not too bad if you’re on Pacific or Mountain Time, but good luck if you’re on the East coast because you will likely be awake until at least 1:30 in the morning if you watch the game in its entirety.

That being said, at least the game will be televised nationally on FS1. Other games on FS1 that day include West Virginia vs. Eastern Kentucky at 11:00 am and Kansas State vs. Arkansas State at 2:30 pm. It’s always good to see the Jayhawks on national TV rather than on streaming platforms, no matter how late in the night the game may be.

Kansas coaches and players have commented on the late start, with senior defensive back Kyle Mayberry calling it “a night scrimmage on live television.” Head coach Les Miles mentioned wanting his players to sleep late on Saturday, suggesting dark curtains pulled together.

At this point, the game could be at 3:00 in the morning and Kansas football fans would still tune in. Fans are starved for some live sports, and having a late game on national TV is more than teams of the Big Ten and Pac-12 have.