In desperate need of a win to secure a bowl game with consecutive ranked opponents to follow, WVU football will host Kansas Saturday evening.

Below are some of the key storylines to keep an eye on during the game:

Big 12 Moves Kickoff Time for WVU Football vs. Kansas

About an hour after the conference announced the possibility kickoff times for Saturday could change, the Big 12 confirmed the WVU football game will move to an earlier time slot.

Instead of the originally scheduled 5:30 pm ET time, West Virginia will now host Kansas at 3:30 pm ET.

The conference also moved Arizona at UCF to 5:30 pm ET, the previous slot for WVU and Kansas.

These changes are due to the continued monitoring of the travel disruptions stemming from Friday’s the FAA ground stoppage. Kansas having already arrived in Morgantown made the WVU game vulnerable to be moved.

WVU Football Stays True to Blue for Uniform Combination

Back at home, WVU football will take the field on Saturday evening wearing an all blue look.

The Mountaineers announced their latest uniform combination with a video posted across social media on Thursday night.

One Win Away From Bowl Eligibility….

Looking to rebound following a 53-48 loss at Texas Tech, West Virginia needs just one more win to become bowl eligible and send Rich Rodriguez to his first postseason game as WVU’s head coach in two decades.

Historically, reaching a bowl game would be the 42nd all-time for West Virginia. The Mountaineers own a bowl record of 17-23. Rodriguez was 2-3 in bowl games during his first tenure at WVU, granted his two wins came in his last two opportunities, one being a Sugar Bowl win to cap off the 2005 season.

Rich Rodriguez Reveals WVU Football Player Retention News

While he’s not ready to release any names or go into detail, he said the program has already agreed to terms with “a few” of the current players to return next season. He did also mention that they are still in the process of evaluating the roster and their view of a player could change depending how the rest of the season unfolds.

However, and contrary to any other reports, West Virginia has not officially signed quarterback Mike Hawkins. Rodriguez has been open about wanting the Mountaineers’ dual-threat signal caller to stay in his system, but retaining him remains an ongoing process.

Though it’s unclear if he’s among those Rodriguez was referring to, cornerback Andrew Powdrell publicly admitted he’s planning to utilize his fifth-year option and play one more season of college football at WVU next year.

But for Rodriguez, he’s made a point to be proactive about talking with players, like Hawkins, who are high priorities to re-sign. He doest believe in waiting until the end of the season to open that dialogue, since doing so could be risky.

Find more coverage of the WVU football program at WV Sports Now.