No. 12 Utah is set to host Kansas at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday night, but it won’t start at its original 10:15 p.m. ET time.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the Utah vs. Kansas game is moving up to 6 p.m. MT (8 p.m. ET) because Utah is dealing with storms associated with Tropical Storm Rachel.
“Utah’s game with Kansas is moving to 6 p.m. MST, up by two hours and 15 minutes. Utah is dealing with storms associated with Tropical Storm Rachel,” Thamel wrote Friday on X.
The Utes Are Looking For Their Second Big 12 Win of the Season
Utah is looking to start the season 5-0 with a win over Kansas. The Utes got a big win two weeks ago when they knocked off Iowa State for their first Big 12 win of the season, and they are well-rested after a bye week.
After playing Kansas, the Utes will travel to Colorado, then host No. 22 Houston before heading to Cincinnati. They return home on Nov. 7 to host No. 8 BYU.
The Utah vs. BYU game could be crucial, as the winner may secure a spot in the Big 12 title game against Texas Tech, the clear conference favorite.
BYU is hosting Iowa State on Friday night and will then welcome No. 3 Notre Dame on Oct. 17. After playing at UCF, it will host Arizona State before facing Utah. The Cougars will likely be undefeated in Big 12 play when they meet Utah in early November.
Alabama vs. Georgia is Also Dealing With Weather Issues
The Utah game isn’t the only matchup on Saturday’s schedule that weather could affect. No. 6 Alabama will host No. 2 Georgia at 7:30 p.m. ET, and another storm, Hurricane Isaias, may affect the game. Despite the hurricane approaching the Tuscaloosa area, the game has not been rescheduled as of Friday night.
On3’s Andy Staples reported Thursday that the game didn’t seem likely to move to a different time.
“The Georgia–Alabama game appears on the track to kick off as scheduled on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC and team sources told On3 on Thursday,” Staples wrote.
“The timing of the game was in doubt as Hurricane Isaias developed in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm is expected to make landfall somewhere near the Alabama/Florida border on the Gulf Coast on Friday night and move north through Alabama and Mississippi throughout the night and into Saturday morning.”
A lot could still change over the next 24 hours, including the Alabama game and other games that could be impacted by the hurricane moving through, as well as the tropical storm that is going to hit Utah.
Utah-Kansas Start Time Change Due to Tropical Storm Rachel