Kickoff times for first 3 Kentucky games have been released

College football is just around the corner. That means tailgate plans must be made soon. That process can begin now after receiving kickoff times for the first three weeks of the 2023 season on Wednesday.

Kentucky will open the season with three consecutive non-conference home games with a variety of different start times.

• Sept. 2: Ball State at Kentucky (Noon ET | SEC Network)
• Sept. 9: Eastern Kentucky at Kentucky (3:00 p.m. ET | SEC Network+)
• Sept. 16: Akron at Kentucky (7:30 p.m. ET | ESPNU)

The times are now locked in, Big Blue Nation. Prepare your tailgate plans accordingly. Kentucky will be one of the first games of the day in Week 1 when Mike Neu brings his eighth Ball State team to Kroger Field to open the 2023 season. The Cardinals won the MAC title in 2020. Former Kentucky staffer Walt Wells will make a return to Lexington in Week 2. EKU made the FCS playoffs last year and returns star quarterback Parker McKinney (3,956 passing yards, 41 total touchdowns, 8.6 yards per attempt). The mid-afternoon kickoff will be behind a paywall via ESPN+. A subscription and internet connection will be needed to watch the Cats and Colonels lock horns. In Week 3, former Mississippi State head coach Joe Moorhead will make his return to Lexington. A long rebuild enters year two at Akron. The Cats will host the Zips for the first night game of the season to end a three-game home stand to begin the year.

With three non-conference games to start the season, Kentucky will be looking to get off to a hot start before facing a backloaded schedule in October and November. SEC play will begin in Week 4 when UK travels to Vanderbilt (Sept. 23) before returning home one week later to host Florida (Sept. 30). Those kickoff times will be released during the season.

Football is coming.