When Kansas travels to take on Arizona State inside the historic Wembley Stadium in August for the Union Jack Classic, there will be plenty of hype built around the affair. It will be Kansas’ first-ever game played abroad, and the first collegiate football game played inside the venue.
To make things even bigger, FOX Big Noon Kickoff will be held at the stadium beforehand.
"We're extremely excited to have FOX's Big Noon Kickoff come to London to preview the Union Jack Classic,” quoted head coach Lance Leipold in a release earlier today.
Next season will see two overseas matchups, as TCU will take on UNC in Dublin, Ireland, for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in late August, with Kansas’ matchup against the Sun Devils as the other.
NC State and UVA were scheduled for a matchup in Brazil at the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos; however, that idea recently fell to pieces, with the game now being moved to UVA’s campus.
“Big Noon Kickoff does an outstanding job of showcasing the pregame pageantry of college football. Having them at the Union Jack Classic will make for a truly special environment as we take on Arizona State in the first ever college football game in the iconic Wembley Stadium,” finished Leipold.
While the Jayhawks are relative novices in being a part of Big Noon Kickoff, they hold a 1-0 record when involved in the headline game, as in 2023, the Jayhawks took down No. 6 Oklahoma in a thrilling 38-33 victory over the Sooners.
Is this the best for KU athletics as a whole?
If you are going to go big, make it as extravagant as you can, right?
The cherry on top of a trip to Wembley is to add FOX’s premier college football preview show on top of it.
By the time the game is over, either via a win or a loss, the Jayhawks would have accrued a lot more fame, even if it is temporarily, but for a shaky team that already has to deal with away trips to Utah, Kansas State, WVU and Oklahoma State, it feels like the Jayhawks would want as many possible games inside David Booth Memorial Stadium (or at least inside the country) as possible.
Don’t let anything else but the result fool you
Of course, Kansas does still hold six true home games, so their season isn’t getting entirely messed up because of this, but as a fan, you aren’t in the wrong to say that you would have preferred even an away game to Tucson, Arizona instead of this.
Ultimately though, it truly comes down to the result; if Kansas scrapes through in front of so many eyes, whether casual or die-hard fans, then it is a massive win for everyone in KU blue involved. However, if the Jayhawks go out with a whimper, then the narrative will solely be focused on the venue, unlike if it would have been played at either of the school’s home stadiums.
Kickoff is set for September 19th on Fox Sports One at 11 am C.T.
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