As the University of Colorado Buffaloes play out the season–taking on the equally maligned Kansas Jayhawks this weekend—some fans are already looking forward to 2011, the school’s first year in the newly minted Pac-12 conference. The schedule has yet to be announced, but some of the details are starting to leak out. Boulder’s Daily Camera reports that the Buffs will host annual powerhouse Southern California in Boulder, along with the nation’s currently top-ranked team, the Oregon Ducks. The Buffs reportedly will also host Washington State and Arizona, and the annual Rocky Mountain Showdown against Colorado State University at Invesco Field in Denver will count as a home game, as well. Next season also likely includes games at Hawaii and Ohio State.

Whatever team CU fields next year will probably be without head coach Dan Hawkins, the subject of intense scrutiny and rumors for more than a year now. Whoever replaces him will have to find a way to make CU an appealing landing spot for top-shelf recruits in the face of the daunting new level of competition. The Camera reports in a separate article that the Buffs have recruited just five players since June, likely due to the team’s poor performance and the decline of the coaching staff.