A huge announcement came down yesterday when Brett McMurphy from On3 broke the news that the inaugural Union Jack Classic between Kansas and Arizona State will be FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff game of the week.
This is the fourth game that has been announced for Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff. September 5th will be the date FOX kicks things off for Week 1 at Indiana. It will be the first game of the Hoosiers’ reign as National Champions. In Week 2 Big Noon Kickoff will head to Michigan as the Wolverines host Oklahoma on September 12th. The crew will do at least one more with Michigan as they will travel to Columbus, Ohio for The Game (what they call the rivalry game between Michigan and Ohio State) on November 28th.
The announcement that Big Noon Kickoff will be in London for Kansas and Arizona State is so huge. In an article I wrote about a month ago, the matchup between the Jayhawks and Sun Devils made my top five Big 12 games of 2026 list. Many folks on social media and on the Heartland College Sports Forums laughed at the notion that this could be one of the top games of the Big 12 season. Well, it is a big deal.
Why This Game is so Important
This game between Kansas and Arizona State will be the first college football game ever being played in London. The game is being played at iconic Wembley Stadium. This will be the first international appearance for Big Noon Kickoff. It is a huge moment for college football and FOX is jumping on the opportunity to be there for all of the action leading up to the game.
FOX will be airing Ohio State hosting Kent State at 12:00 ET while Kansas and Arizona State’s game will air at the same time on FS1. I get that Ohio State is a huge brand name, but it speaks volumes that the Big Noon Kickoff crew will be traveling to London for the game that is going to air on FS1. Kansas and Arizona State will likely be the better matchup between the two as well.
Big 12 Brand Continues to Rise
This is the second season in a row where the Big 12 will be featured overseas. Iowa State and Kansas State, while it is reasonable to say that game specifically should not have been taken off American soil, it did give the Big 12 a game where all eyes were on that game.
This is huge for the Big 12 brand. Props to Kansas Athletic Director Travis Goff for giving up a home game to get this historic game on the books. It would have been very easy to just do the ho-hum thing and keep Arizona State as a home game in Lawrence. Unlike Iowa State and Kansas State, the Jayhawks and Sun Devils are not a rivalry game. This is the perfect type of game to feature in an overseas matchup. Two teams that aren’t traditional power houses but can still bring a lot of excitement to the international stage.
Excitement For Both Big Schools
This will be an incredible experience for both schools, student-athletes, coaches and fanbases. It’s not very often a college football team gets to play an international game. Yes, it may be an inconvenience for some. It will be costly for others, especially businesses in Lawrence on game day that will be missing out on sales they would otherwise get on a typical home game day for Kansas.
However, there is no denying the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the college athletes to play on this stage, fans to make a fun trip over-the-pond, and the impact this spotlight can have on these universities long-term.
Gearing Up For the Game
Kansas will be playing Missouri on Friday, September 11th, so they will get an extra day to prepare for the international game. Arizona State will be coming off a road game at Texas A&M, so that could be a rough turnaround for the Sun Devils. It shouldn’t be hard for either of these teams to get up for this one with all of the hype surrounding the game.
