As August nears an end, we get closer to the cool months of autumn. The sun is setting earlier, the leaves are getting crunchier, and nights are becoming cooler. More importantly than that? The Kansas Jayhawks are playing football!
I'm a card-carrying college football sicko. I absolutely love it. I watch the Mountain West battles on CBSSN, the Midweek "MACtion", and I typically spend the first Saturday of the college football season watching every game of the Week 0 slate. This season will be no different. There is one major difference with this weekend's slate, however. The Jayhawks host the Fresno State Bulldogs at The Booth, playing back home in Lawrence for the first time since 2023! With fans eager to step foot in the new-and-improved booth, this weekend is set to be a showcase of the best parts of the Lance Leipold era in Lawrence.
The History of Week 0
The NCAA has granted programs the ability to play a week early as far back as 1983. Although the official season starts on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, there are exceptions given to create nationally televised games. In short, Week 0 games are made to showcase teams to the entire country! Big program or small, blue chip or group of five, Week 0 is an appetizer to the entire college football season. The weekend's slate includes a Power 4 matchup between Kansas State and Iowa State in Ireland, a matchup between Stanford and the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in Honolulu, and a couple fun group-of-five matchups.
What Week 0 Means for Kansas
Last season was a rollercoaster for the Jayhawks. In what was slated to be a historic, possibly conference-title contending, season for Coach Leipold and his team ended up being one giant 'what if?' Despite going on a three game win streak, beating three ranked opponents in a row late in the season, it wasn't enough to send the Jayhawks bowling for a third season in a row.
This season opener against Fresno State will be a chance for the team to put last year's woe's behind them. The game is nationally televised, meaning every college football fan from Lawrence, Kansas to Moscow, Idaho will be tuned in to watch the Jayhawks play. The new Booth will be on display with a revamped and re-focused roster led by Jalon Daniels will take center stage. I can't remember a more anticipated home opener for the Jayhawks in my lifetime, and it being amplified by the optics of Week 0 only make it that much more important. A win would not only wash away any aftertaste from last season, but would likely put the college football community on notice.
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