Saturday’s Big 12 matchup between Kansas and No. 12 Utah is getting an earlier start because of potential inclement weather in Salt Lake City. The Big 12 announced Friday that the Kansas-Utah kickoff has been moved up to 6 p.m. MT (7 p.m. CT) at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The game had originally been scheduled for 8:15 p.m. MT (9:15 p.m. CT).
According to the conference, the decision was made based on weather forecast models for the Salt Lake City area and was agreed upon by both Kansas and Utah. Utah is dealing with storms associated with Tropical Storm Rachel.
Kansas vs. Utah TV Information
The television situation is also changing as a result of the earlier kickoff.
The Big 12 announced that the game will be available in its entirety on the ESPN App, while the conference and ESPN are still determining which traditional ESPN network will carry the game. The exact broadcast designation is expected to be announced prior to kickoff.
The schedule change moves up one of the more intriguing Big 12 games of Week 6 by more than two hours.
Utah enters the weekend ranked No. 12 in the country and undefeated as it looks to remain near the top of the Big 12 standings. Kansas, meanwhile, heads to Salt Lake City looking to pull off a significant road upset and get its conference season moving in the right direction.
The weather will now become another storyline worth monitoring leading up to kickoff, particularly if conditions could have an impact on the game itself.
But for fans planning to watch Saturday night, the most important change is straightforward: Kansas and Utah will now kick off at 7 p.m. CT instead of 9:15 p.m. CT.
