photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Members of the Fox Big Noon Kickoff show go live before the game against Oklahoma Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in Lawrence.

One of college football’s flagship programs will make the trip across the Atlantic Ocean for the Union Jack Classic this fall.

Fox Sports’ “Big Noon Kickoff” pregame show will be on site in London for the matchup between Kansas and Arizona State on Sept. 19 at Wembley Stadium, which will be the first FBS football game ever contested in the United Kingdom.

Fox host Rob Stone announced the network’s plans during its FIFA World Cup coverage prior to Wednesday afternoon’s matchup between England and Croatia. This will be the second time that a KU game is featured on “Big Noon Kickoff,” and the first was a memorable one: the Jayhawks’ 38-33 upset victory over then-No. 6 Oklahoma, on Oct. 28, 2023, at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

“We’re extremely excited to have FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff come to London to preview the Union Jack Classic,” KU coach Lance Leipold said in a press release. “Big Noon Kickoff does an outstanding job of showcasing the pregame pageantry of college football. Having them at the Union Jack Classic will make for a truly special environment as we take on Arizona State in the first ever college football game in the iconic Wembley Stadium.”

“Big Noon Kickoff,” which starts at 9 a.m., will lead straight into the Union Jack Classic on Sept. 19 because the KU-ASU game is set for 11 a.m. Central (5 p.m. in London). It will, however, be televised on FS1, not the main Fox channel. The network has previously announced that its top broadcast crew of Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Jenny Taft will cover Ohio State-Kent State on Fox.

In any case, attracting a pregame show ensures some level of national attention for the Union Jack Classic in a context, midway through the college football season in a normal television window, that might otherwise make it difficult to stand out. Scott Draper, the Big 12’s chief football officer, had previously characterized it as a challenge to “find the oxygen” for the game, but KU athletic director Travis Goff had promised an “additional really interesting avenue that will attract a lot of eyeballs, a lot of attention, regardless of actual timeslot of game and regardless, frankly — even if there may be a relationship — regardless of which network picks the game.”

When “Big Noon Kickoff” visited Lawrence in 2023, Stone called it “a five-hour national commercial, essentially free of charge.”

The crew of “Big Noon” includes Stone with former Alabama running back Mark Ingram II; former Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn; former USC quarterback Matt Leinart and former Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, as well as other contributors such as Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy and betting analyst Chris Fallica.

“FOX Sports prides itself on being the home of big events, so we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to bring Big Noon Kickoff to the historic Wembley Stadium – home to so many iconic moments in sports,” said Jordan Bazant, the executive vice president of FOX Sports, in the release. “With Big Noon Kickoff and the Union Jack Classic now woven into that storied legacy, we can’t wait to take our viewers along for this international adventure, and we’re thankful to Brett Yormark, Scott Draper, Travis Goff and Graham Rossini for helping bring this one-of-a-kind event to life.”

This will be KU’s second time on “Big Noon Kickoff” after two appearances on its chief competitor, the more established ESPN’s “College GameDay,” which visited Arrowhead Stadium for the Border War in 2007 and then went to Lawrence on Oct. 8, 2022 for a ranked matchup between KU and TCU. The Border War was also featured on the SEC-specific pregame show “SEC Nation” last season.

As the Journal-World previously reported, KU is receiving $2.7 million for its participation in the Union Jack Classic.

photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” show was held in Lawrence for the game against Oklahoma Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023.

photo by: AP Photo/Steve Luciano, File

FILE – Flags are displayed before an NFL football game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023.