The 2023 Kansas football schedule was released in full on Tuesday afternoon and with it came a state goal from one of the Jayhawks.
Sure, it was fun to see where the four new Big 12 teams fell on the schedule and, yeah, it was interesting to see which teams KU would not be facing as a result of the league’s expansion.
But linebacker Rich Miller had a much more pressing question.
“Can we sell out the booth 7 (times) this year,” Miller tweeted shortly after the Big 12 Conference released the schedules.
Teammate Kenny Logan Jr. provided a quick answer.
“Rich I think so,” Logan wrote.
The Jayhawks will get that chance thanks to the seven home games — and five road games — that appear on next season’s schedule.
In his second year in charge of the program in 2022, KU coach Lance Leipold led the Jayhawks to their first bowl appearance since 2008. Along the way, the Jayhawks inspired their fan base to pack David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium for three consecutive games as interest and excitement surrounding the program’s resurgence reached new heights.
Given the way Kansas closed the 2022 season in thrilling fashion in a triple-overtime loss to Arkansas at the Liberty Bowl and the fact that the Jayhawks will be returning most of the key players (17 of 22 starters) from that team, that type of excitement seems likely to be around in Week 1 in 2023.
Kansas will open 2023 with a Thursday night home game against Missouri State on Aug. 31. It will mark the third consecutive season in which KU opens on a week night, but the first time it will open on a Thursday.
In addition, KU will play three of the four Big 12 newcomers next season, with Central Florida and BYU at home and Cincinnati on the road during the final week of the regular season.
The Jayhawks will not play fellow-Big 12 newcomer Houston in 2023 in large part because the Cougars were on the Jayhawks’ schedule in 2022. Leipold’s program also will not face Baylor, 2022 national runner-up TCU and West Virginia next season.
The Oct. 7 home game against UCF will mark the first ever matchup between the two schools. The home date with BYU two weeks earlier on Sept. 23 will mark just the second ever clash between the KU and BYU football programs.
According to a KU news release announcing the schedule, the Jayhawks’ home schedule, which features six FBS programs and FCS school Missouri State in the opener, will be among the most competitive in the country. All six FBS programs that will come to Lawrence played in a bowl game last year and those teams combined for a 49-36 record.
As for the four teams KU will not face, they combined to win 32 games last season, which ties for the fourth-most 2022 wins avoided in the 14-team conference.
Cincinnati, with 39, is on top of that list, while Oklahoma State sits second at 35 and BYU and UCF are tied for third at 33.
Houston landed at the bottom of the list, with 24 wins avoided. In addition to Kansas, the Cougars will not face BYU, Iowa State and Oklahoma next season.
Here’s a complete look at KU’s 2023 schedule, followed by the Big 12’s master list for next season. Kickoff times and television network assignments will be announced at a later date.
2023 Kansas Football Schedule:
Aug. 31 – vs. Missouri State
Sept. 9 – vs. Illinois
Sept. 16 – at Nevada
Sept. 23 – vs. BYU
Sept. 30 – at Texas
Oct. 7 – vs. Central Florida
Oct. 14 – at Oklahoma State
Oct. 21 – BYE
Oct. 28 – vs. Oklahoma
Nov. 4 – at Iowa State
Nov. 11 – vs. Texas Tech
Nov. 18 – vs. Kansas State
Nov. 25 – at Cincinnati
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