LAWRENCE — Travis Goff stopped short of putting specific expectations on Kansas football’s 2024 season, as he spoke in late February on a wide range of topics.

Goff does, of course, have high expectations. KU’s director of athletics outlined that, given the way those Jayhawks have positioned themselves, people should have high expectations for what they can accomplish. He just didn’t want to speak in that moment on something he felt it was better for head coach Lance Leipold to articulate.

Goff went on to explain he’s placing an emphasis on thinking about the long term. There’s a desire to ensure the journey ahead of them is sustainable. From his seat, in the role of an administrator, that’s what’s most important.

But when it comes to the 2024 college football season, and the fact the Jayhawks are playing all six of their home games away from Lawrence, Goff didn’t hesitate to express confidence in their ability to create a home environment in the stadiums they will play at. Those two are Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, and Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. And neither did Leipold.

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“I think our fan base, A, are excited to go to Children’s Mercy (Park) and to play there,” Leipold said. “I think that’s going to be an underrated atmosphere of what it can do and I think our players will be really excited early. And then, of course, I think we’re excited also to go to the home of the Super Bowl champs and play there.”

Children’s Mercy Park, where Major League Soccer's Sporting Kansas City plays, will be home for Kansas’ two non-conference games. Arrowhead Stadium, where the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs play, will be home for the four Big 12 Conference games. And if the Jayhawks are able to reach and host a game in the College Football Playoff, that game will be played at Arrowhead Stadium as well.

The decision was brought on by the significant renovation underway at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium as a part of KU’s Gateway Project, and Leipold thinks this is alternative is better than trying to force something in Lawrence. He said his guys are going to embrace the opportunity, and apologized for any inconvenience for those eager to support them. From Goff’s perspective, the reaction to this move has been overwhelmingly positive.

This team is still coming off of back-to-back seasons with bowl appearances and a bowl victory in 2023. It’s just a matter of having to navigate what Goff described as short-term pains in Lawrence, as they continue to place an emphasis on what’s best for the long-term health of the program. He thinks everyone understands the significance of the construction project that began in earnest after the end of the 2023 season, and remained resolute in the evaluation that this route is the best situation possible for fan and athlete experience.

“A lot of credit goes to campus, because that’s a pretty radical departure from a typical campus perspective,” Goff said. “And, of course, I’ve got to give a lot of credit to our Lawrence community at large and certainly the business community here in Lawrence. They know how committed we are to the city and to truly being an economic driver. And we’ve been an important part of that, and I think the future is even far brighter in particular with the Gateway and David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium opening in 2025.”

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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Can Kansas football enjoy home environments away from Lawrence?