Chris Klieman Picked 11:00 a.m. Kickoff for Game vs. Texas Tech
Kansas State is set to host Texas Tech on Saturday following their monumental win over Oklahoma last week.
Back in the confines of Bill Snyder Family Stadium K-State will try to stretch its Big 12 record to 2-0 under the bright lights, er, wait. No, actually the game won’t require stadium lighting, as the sun will be almost directly overhead for the 11:00 a.m. kickoff. But why? Well, that’s how Wildcats’ head coach Chris Klieman wanted it.
After FOX and ESPN both declined to broadcast Texas Tech vs. Kansas State on traditional television networks, K-State was free to pick their kickoff time for the contest. While the 11:00 a.m. window is strictly used for television purposes, that is when Klieman prefers to play.
“Mainly the 11 a.m. kick is what Chris preferred,” K-State athletic director Gene Taylor told the Kansas City Star. “Since we did the first game at 6:00 and the Tulane game at 2:30 we wanted to give him his preference on this one.”
While fans may moan and groan about 11:00 a.m. kickoffs, there are actually some benefits for the teams when games start that early. Players love 11:00 a.m. kickoffs because it gives them a Saturday night during football season to do as the please, plus they don’t have to spend half of their day in a team hotel before heading to the stadium.
“They get up, eat and go to the stadium,” Taylor said. “It also gives coaches a little extra time that night for film break down.”
K-State and Texas Tech both come into this game with identical 3-1 (1-0 Big 12) records, but the Wildcats are favored by 8.0 points as the home team. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our preview on the game.
