Next season will see the Kansas Jayhawks embark on an overseas trip to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Union Jack Classic at the historic Wembley Stadium.
Around Big 12 Media Days this past week, Kansas’ overseas trip was one of the hottest topics.
While Leipold wished the game would have been scheduled in the week zero slot like several international games are, for example, Kansas State’s and Iowa State’s week zero clash from last season in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, the now sixth-year head coach seems overwhelmingly positive about the trip.
The Kansas Jayhawks are set to take part in one of their biggest games in program history
Now there are reasonable drawbacks to this game, right? KU will have to do extra preparation for both before and after this matchup, and from a fan’s perspective, the Jayhawks are losing a Big 12 game at home, as now the Jayhawks will only host Baylor, UCF and BYU. While other Big 12 schools will get four home conference matchups this season, which is a slight disappointment. However, with Kansas’ David Booth Memorial still being renovated, the program didn’t see it as a massive loss.
“First of all, as giving up a home game, we're in phase two of our stadium renovation, and we're at a reduced capacity, so that was part of the formula,” started Leipold when asked about the trip.
Last season saw KU fans be welcomed back to the Booth after a year spent largely playing their home games in Kansas City, Missouri, the year prior.
“But, you know, I think we're still about student-athlete experience, and I think we're providing an opportunity for our student-athletes to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience to go over there and play a football game.”
Next season will be the first-ever college football game played inside the iconic Wembley Stadium, and Kansas’ first-ever college football game abroad, for everyone except Lance Leipold.
“I mentioned that many moons ago, when I was a graduate assistant at the University of Wisconsin, we played in Tokyo, Japan. And when I run into former players at that time, they still talk about that game and their trip and everything that went along with it.”
The Badgers took on the Michigan State Spartans in early December 1993, towards the end of Leipold’s time.
Kansas’ overseas trip could not come at a more interesting time
Regardless, this experience should be viewed as a net positive; several players on the team have not gone overseas before and as Leipold mentioned in his trip with the Badgers, the trip seems to be thought of fondly (it doesn’t hurt that Wisconsin blew Michigan State out of the water with a 41-20 win).
But if Kansas can walk away winners, not only does it serve as a massive publicity boost for a program that is still shedding the skin of a dormant college football program, but it will also go a long way in ending what could become a three-year streak of not making a bowl game.
More Kansas Football News
Add us as a preferred source on Google