The University of Hawai'i will kick off most of its home football games at 5:30 p.m. this season, athletic director Jim Donovan said.

The time strikes a midway point between one favored by season ticket holders (5 p.m.) and one favored by purchasers of individual game tickets (6 p.m.) in a school survey, UH said.

The exception will be the Sept. 2 season opener against Southern California, which will start at 5 p.m. for a Thursday game that will be shown on ESPN.

"Hopefully, this strikes a balance and will work for all of our fans," Donovan said.

UH games averaged 3 hours and 9 minutes in 2009, with just two of 13 being played in under 3 hours.

In 2008, most UH home games had 6:05 p.m. kickoffs. But in 2009, in a move to allow visiting Western Athletic Conference opponents an opportunity to make late flights after the game and save on travel costs, UH shifted its four conference home games to 5:05 p.m.

UH surveyed fans at its 2009 season-ending game with Wisconsin as to their preferred starting time for future seasons.

Donovan said some fans favored earlier starts to get home at a reasonable hour while others preferred later starts to devote more time to daytime activities.