The University of Hawai'i welcomed news that its Sept. 2 football season opener at Alabama will have a 1:07 p.m., Hawai'i time, kickoff.

UH athletic director Herman Frazier said yesterday the school was waiting for official notification but, assuming the time posted on Alabama's Web site is correct, "... we are happy that kickoff will be (6 p.m. Central time) rather than in the afternoon. It will definitely benefit our players."

The average high temperature in Tuscaloosa in September is 86.7 degrees.

There had been a chance the game could have kicked off at 11:30 a.m. Central time (6:30 a.m. Hawai'i time) had one of the Southeastern Conference TV partners taken the game. But CBS, ESPN, ESPN2 and Lincoln Financial Sports passed.

The news was cheered by K5, which coordinates UH's 15-event pay-per-view package, of which the Alabama game is the marquee attraction. The Crimson Tide Sports Network will show the game in Alabama and K5 will air it in Hawai'i.

"There won't be a lot of other (sports) events at 1 p.m. and more viewers might be available," said John Fink, general manager of K5, which share in the pay-per-view revenues with UH and Oceanic Time Warner Cable.

KHNL/K5's Russell Yamanoha will join David Crane and Tyler Watts, a former Alabama quarterback, on the broadcast.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com.