Major Kickoff Time Change for Kansas Jayhawks vs. West Virginia

Kansas football's Saturday matchup against West Virginia will begin two hours earlier than originally scheduled after ESPN's Pete Thamel reported a late change Friday night. The decision comes following nationwide FAA flight disruptions that forced the Big 12 to adjust its Saturday football schedule.

Kansas football fans will need to adjust their Saturday plans after ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that the Jayhawks' upcoming matchup against West Virginia has received a significant kickoff time change.

Originally scheduled for 4:30 p.m. CT Saturday, the game will now begin at 2:30 p.m. CT at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia. The matchup will also move from ESPNU to ESPN2.

Thamel first reported the change on social media Friday night, writing that West Virginia's home game against Kansas would now begin at 3:30 p.m. Eastern instead of its originally scheduled 5:30 p.m. Eastern kickoff.

The Big 12 Conference officially announced the adjustment shortly afterward, confirming that the decision was connected to Friday's nationwide FAA ground stop affecting air travel.

The situation created complications for several college football programs attempting to travel to their respective destinations ahead of Saturday's games. With multiple teams experiencing flight disruptions, the conference had to evaluate its schedule and television windows.

Kansas, however, was fortunate to avoid the travel problems.

According to Kansas Athletics, the Jayhawks had already arrived safely in Pittsburgh before the ground stop affected travel. The team then completed its trip to Morgantown by bus.

That allowed Kansas and West Virginia to become part of the Big 12's revised television schedule, with their game moving into an earlier time slot.

The Arizona State-UCF matchup was also affected by the scheduling changes. That game will now begin at 3:30 p.m. MT on ESPNU after originally being scheduled for an earlier window.

For Kansas, the focus now shifts toward preparing for an important conference matchup against the Mountaineers.

The Jayhawks enter Saturday with a 3-6 overall record and a 1-5 mark in Big 12 play. West Virginia comes into the contest at 5-4 overall and 2-4 in conference action.

Kansas desperately needs a victory to keep its bowl eligibility hopes alive, making this road matchup particularly important for Lance Leipold's team.

The Jayhawks will now have less time before kickoff than originally expected, but the schedule adjustment does not change what is at stake.

Kansas will look to take advantage of its opportunity in Morgantown and leave West Virginia with a much-needed conference victory.  JayhawksRoundtable.