Get used to 11 tune-ups for the Border War football game.
The Big 12 Conference released league football schedules through 2015 on Tuesday, and each year the Missouri-Kansas University game is slated as the regular-season finale.
The annual date is tentative – both schools can agree to move it to an open week if they want. But KU associate athletic director Larry Keating doesn’t foresee it happening.
Two reasons were given for the annual move to Thanksgiving weekend. The obvious one is television exposure, which is almost certain with fewer games on the slate that weekend. Also, Friday games are common on Thanksgiving weekend, opening more television windows.
Another reason for the permanent move is the recent addition of a 12th game to the schedule. In order to prevent playing 12 weeks in a row in most seasons, Kansas and Missouri officials prefer to bump the game out of its normally scheduled spot and move it to Thanksgiving weekend. That creates a bye week midseason.
Border War games in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015 are all but guaranteed to stay Thanksgiving weekend. The 2008, 2013 and 2014 games likely will stay put, too, though the schedule those seasons has more flexibility because the calendar offers 14 Saturdays instead of the normal 13 in the scheduling window.
“We can mutually agree to move to an open date,” Keating said.
However, breaks in the schedule often are welcomed by coaches and players worn down by the weekly competition. And the potential for television exposure rarely is passed up by any college football program.
With the Kansas-Missouri game moved to Thanksgiving weekend, it’s a good bet that the rivalry showdown will be televised on an annual basis. The two schools agreed to move the game this season for television purposes and will again in 2007.
Before 2006, the Kansas-Missouri game was on television only once since 1998.
Future schedules will be more repetitive than usual. The Jayhawks will open against either Baylor or Iowa State every season between 2008-15. Half will be at home, half will be on the road.
Future schedules will be identical in two-season increments, with only the location swapping. For example, KU plays Kansas State at home Oct. 16, 2010, and then at Manhattan on Oct. 15, 2011. The rest of the schedule plays out in similar fashion.