NCAA: A True All-Star Lineup

Notwithstanding the upcoming onslaught of all-star games, the 2000 collegiate football season, for all intensive purposes, is over. It is never too early, however, to look ahead to the 2001 season and the all-star lineup of teams scheduled to visit the University of Kansas.

The Kansas football team hasn't appeared in a bowl game since 1995 and hasn't managed more than five victories in a season since. The Jayhawks' 2001 home schedule, however, should give college football fans throughout the Midwest reason to flock to Lawrence on Saturday afternoons this autumn.

Kansas annually faces a challenging schedule. The Big 12 Conference provides a bulk of this competition as one of the true powerhouse conferences in the realm of collegiate football, and the 2001 season will be no exception. It is the combination of Big 12 foes and non-conference opponents that will give the Jayhawks one of their toughest home schedules in school history in 2001. Kansas' home slate should also compare with that of any other program in the nation.

And now, the all-star lineup:

Sept. 8 - UCLA - The Jayhawks and Bruins have not met on the gridiron since a 51-30 Kansas victory in the 1995 Aloha Bowl. The teams have met just a total of three times since 1960, making this non-conference match-up featuring the Jayhawks and a storied Pac-10 power an especially rare treat. The Bruins narrowly fell to Wisconsin, 21-20, in this season's Sun Bowl.

Oct. 13 - Oklahoma - What can be said about the Sooners? Well, let's see … Big 12 Conference champions, winners of 13 consecutive games, and of course, national champions. Even with the loss of Heisman runner-up Josh Heupel, the Sooners should remain among the nation's elite programs in 2001.

Oct. 20 - Missouri - The annual Border War returns to Memorial Stadium for the 2001 installment of the classic rivalry. Granted, Missouri may turn out to be one of the Jayhawks' weakest opponents on paper, but the hiring of Gary Pinkel from Toledo should instill some new fire in the emotional series.

Nov. 3 - Nebraska - The Cornhuskers annually field one of the strongest teams in the nation, and return to Lawrence after escaping with a narrow 24-17 victory in their last trip to Memorial Stadium in 1999. With Eric Crouch at the helm of the Nebraska offense for his senior season, the Cornhuskers should once again be among the top teams in the country. Nebraska crushed Northwestern, 66-17, in this season's Alamo Bowl.

Nov. 17 - Iowa State - The Cyclones will be the fourth and final bowl team from 2000 to visit Memorial Stadium in the fall. Iowa State enjoyed its first nine-win season since 1906 and claimed the first bowl victory in school history with a 37-29 triumph over Pittsburgh in the Insight.com Bowl.

Kansas also has a non-conference home game against Southwest Missouri State on Sept. 1, and the possibility of adding one or two more September home games before the 2001 schedule is finalized. As it stands now, however, the home schedule appears to be superb, at least in terms of the level of competition.

Few teams across the nation will host four bowl teams from this season, not to mention face a schedule with a total of seven bowl teams. Yes, the Jayhawks also visit Texas Tech (Galleryfurniture.com), Kansas State (Cotton), and Texas (Holiday) to round out a daunting schedule for fifth-year head coach Terry Allen (18-27 in four years at KU).

With a capacity of 52,250 and the aforementioned home schedule, Memorial Stadium should expect to greet more visitors next fall than the average of 32,217 fans that graced the stands during the 2000 season. What an opportunity for college football fans to witness some truly impressive talent, and what an opportunity for Kansas to attempt to return to the national scene.