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Nebraska is officially part of the Big Ten blog, and the welcome wagon hasn't stopped rolling.

To help us learn more about the Huskers, I've reached out to colleague David Ubben from the Big 12 blog. David knows all about Big Red and covered Nebraska during its transition from the Big 12 to the Big Ten. After being nice enough to hand off the Huskers -- actually, I had to pry them from his hands -- Ubben took some time to talk about the Big Ten's newest member.

Let's go back to June 11. What was your initial reaction to Nebraska leaving the Big 12 for the Big Ten?

David Ubben: Ha, well it was certainly an unpopular one among the Nebraska supporters. I thought it was a great move for the university and the football program, but a huge, huge blow to the future stability of the Big 12.

In short, I equated Nebraska leaving to pulling the pin on the Texas Grenade that would blow up the Big 12.

Obviously, that's not what ended up happening, and for a fan base that since June has despised all things Big 12, I was surprised at how much the Huskers didn't want to be blamed for the Big 12's demise. One would think they would relish in it.

At the core, I think there was some fear from fans that their Huskers might be villainized as a program for the self-serving move, but that's not at all what happened to Arkansas, who certainly did much of the same thing to the Southwest Conference when it left for the SEC.

Back to your original question, though, Nebraska leaving definitely meant a weaker Big 12 if it continued to exist moving forward, and anyone who wants to try to argue otherwise is kidding themselves. Nebraska did what it needed to do: secure infinitely more stability and a good amount of cash with a move to the Big Ten, as well as the academic prestige that comes with, to borrow a phrase from deservedly maligned Missouri governor Jay Nixon, aligning themselves with Northwestern and Wisconsin rather than Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.

Yeah, anytime a school wants to upgrade its league, it should remember Mizzou and do exactly the opposite. But back to Nebraska. People know about the national championships, Dr. Tom and the option offense. What should Big Ten fans know about the current Nebraska program and its fan base as the Huskers transition to the conference?

DU: Nebraska's biggest asset is its fan base. People like to knock Huskers fans for being a bit full of themselves, but they have reason to be. They're going to rival any team in the Big Ten when it comes to traveling for road games. Prepare yourselves for a sea of red in your stadiums when Nebraska comes.

One big reason? It might be tougher to get a ticket to see the Huskers in Lincoln. Every single home game has been sold out since Nov. 3, 1962, a streak of 311 games. That's an NCAA record, of course. The ones who do make it into Memorial Stadium on fall Saturdays enter under permanent signs that read "Through these gates pass the Greatest Fans in College Football."

Is it obnoxious? Yes. Will it turn off a few opposing fans? Most definitely.

But I would argue that it's not inaccurate.

Husker fans are voracious supporters. They love their team. They know their team. They read about and are opinionated about their team. They spend money on their team. Any other fan base should admire at least that much. Because of that devotion, among other things, the program is one of college football's blue bloods and is able to make a big move that will benefit the program tremendously.

Let's talk about the team itself. Bo Pelini is an Ohio guy, and his track record on defense speaks for itself. Nebraska has seemed more up and down on the offensive side. How do you see the Huskers' style translating to the Big Ten?

DU: That's presuming Nebraska has an offensive style. Nebraska was all about the run early in the year, and ran over and around just about everybody in the first half of the season. Since no one could stop it, they didn't have to throw much, and when they did, they were so, so dangerous.

But the offense slowed late in the season, and I thought they relied on Taylor Martinez to simply drop back and pass way too often and didn't run the zone read enough.

The latest word from Nebraska's recruits is they want an offense that most closely resembles Oregon's, likely minus the dizzying tempo. Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson would describe his offense as a bit of a hybrid between Oregon's offense and the West Coast passing attack, but he looks like he's on his way out.

I'm a big believer that you have to do what suits your personnel, and with a zone-read whiz like Martinez and quality running backs like Nebraska has, it would seem that's a good fit.

On the whole, though, Martinez has to continue to develop as a passer to really give the best defenses trouble. How much of that happens over the next three years will determine how successful they ultimately are. If he can't do it, there's nothing saying he's guaranteed to be the starter above incoming freshmen Bubba Starling (if he stays with football and doesn't sign an MLB contract) and Jamal Turner. Even Cody Green, who played when Martinez was injured this year, could earn some quality snaps if Martinez struggles as a sophomore.

Wow, sounds like we could soon have a QB controversy. Interesting. What do you think will be the biggest adjustments for Nebraska in transitioning from the Big 12 to the Big Ten?

DU: I'm a big believer in Pelini as a defensive coach, so I think they'll be able to make these adjustments eventually, but they're going to have to change the type of players they recruit defensively. You need so many defensive backs (and good ones) to have success in the Big 12, and winning the line of scrimmage will put you over the top, but teams like Missouri and Texas Tech have had success in the league without doing it on a consistent basis.

The Big Ten is all about the beef up front. The Huskers are big and fast on the defensive line with guys like Jared Crick and Baker Steinkuhler. I don't see many problems there.

Nebraska's best linebacker this year, Lavonte David, made a Big 12-best 152 tackles. He also happens to be 210 pounds. Players like him, while they're incredibly valuable in the Big 12 for their ability to make plays in coverage and provide a speed rush, will be marginalized in Nebraska's future for bigger, run-stopping linebackers.

There will be all kinds of things that will have to change, but the type of defensive personnel will be No. 1 on the list. Specifically, Nebraska will need more, bigger linebackers and fewer defensive backs.

Nebraska always has recruited so well in the state of Texas. How do you think the move to the Big Ten will impact Nebraska's recruiting strategy?

DU: Oh, what a contentious question. So, so much disagreement on this issue.

I don't think there will be a time when Nebraska just has no one from Texas, but their success in the state will take a considerable hit with the move. I do believe the Huskers should continue to recruit the state, but I also think they need to take some of those efforts and resources previously allocated toward Texas and use them to start scraping the Rust Belt and compete with their new conference mates, rather than their old ones.

Pelini knows the area well, and I think the Huskers will have some success doing it. They had a huge year in 2011 in Texas, getting three top-tier, ESPNU 150 players in ATH/QB Jamal Turner, RB Aaron Green and CB Charles Jackson.

I do believe they can keep getting some talent like that in 2012 and 2013, but as recruits and their families really realize what life is like as a parent of a Texas kid playing in the Big Ten, they'll realize why so few Texas recruits elect to play in the Big Ten. I talked with Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville about this issue last week actually, and he said for most families, it's a huge deal. Watching on TV simply isn't the same thing as going to games, home or away. And the facts are, a lot of families can't afford to fly to a ton of games.

Nebraska traditionally only played one or two games in Texas during a season, three if they made the Big 12 title game and it was in Texas. That doesn't sound like many, but look at it this way, unless you can pay for a flight or make a ridiculously long drive, you're talking about going four or five months without seeing your son versus around two or fewer if they play games in Texas.

So in short, I don't think there will be a time when Nebraska absolutely can't recruit in Texas, but they need to take advantage of their new opportunities in Ohio and Michigan, too, as compensation for the guys who won't want to play up North.

OK, you're on the spot. How do the Huskers fare in Year 1 in the Big Ten, which has already branded them a legendary team in the Legends division?

DU: The Big Ten certainly didn't do them any favors with their first-year schedule, booking them for trips to Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan. Hosting Iowa, Michigan State and Ohio State is going to be tough, and they have to play the Buckeyes in the first game with their five suspended players back. Who knows what happens there?

With a still-maturing passer who won't have a ton of help at receiver, they'll have some struggles offensively, but they should be solid again on the defensive end.

I'll say 9-3 or 8-4. Short of what you might call a Legendary season, but certainly a good one.

Thanks to David for his time, and stay tuned as we'll both have more on Nebraska's move to the Big Ten.

On Wednesday, we wrapped up our look back at the last five years of ESPNU 150 recruits that signed with Big 12 teams.

Here's a quick refresher course on every Big 12 ESPNU 150 signee:

• Big 12 signees in the 2006 ESPNU 150
• Big 12 signees in the 2007 ESPNU 150
• Big 12 signees in the 2008 ESPNU 150
• Big 12 signees in the 2009 ESPNU 150
• Big 12 signees in the 2010 ESPNU 150
• Big 12 signees in the 2011 ESPNU 150

I learned a lot in looking back on these classes, and the spectrum of results was fascinating. Here are a few thoughts:

• There wasn't a Heisman Trophy winner among the bunch -- Oklahoma's Sam Bradford was a three-star recruit -- but there were plenty of All-Americans and All-Big 12 talents, as well as a few draft picks. It's interesting to note that the 2010 class was the only one in which more than one Big 12 Freshman of the Year came to campus as an elite recruit. Oklahoma State linebacker Shaun Lewis and Oklahoma safety Tony Jefferson shared the defensive honors last season.
• I'll count probable draft picks, but here's how many NFL draft picks emerged from each class. Obviously, the most recent classes won't be included, and it tapers off quite a bit as you reach the '08 class, which will have a few more drafted eventually. Any players after the 2008 class are ineligible for the draft.
• 2006: 8
• 2007: 3 (Dez Bryant, Sam Acho, Curtis Brown)
• 2008: 1 (Blaine Gabbert)
• Additionally, I don't have a ton to say about the 09-11 classes because, well, at this point, you can't have much to say. Oklahoma or Texas don't have too many four-year, or even three-year starters at too many positions. It's still very, very early to pass judgment on those guys.
• Obviously there's still time, but the 2008 class looking back was pretty weak in comparison to those around it. It's easily the worst of the four classes, not including 2011. Two of the top five recruits have transferred. The other three in that group have yet to make significant contributions. Players like Jon Major, Cyrus Gray, Emmanuel Acho, Kendall Wright and Landry Jones join Gabbert as some of the best in the class, but guys like Jameel Owens, Kye Staley, Lynn Katoa and Justin Johnson aren't even with the teams they've signed anymore. Plenty of others haven't come close to the projected impact others would hope.
• Compare that to the accomplished 2006 class, which was loaded at the top of the board. DeMarco Murray, Sergio Kindle, Jevan Snead, Gerald McCoy and Eddie Jones won't make anybody say, "Who?" That's a strong top 5. Mike Goodson, Jeremy Beal, Josh Freeman, and Jermaine Gresham could all have solid NFL careers, too. In my book, this is the class others will have to live up to.
• One quick thought: Are Jevan Snead and Josh Freeman's careers the inverses of each other?
• I'll give a full breakdown of the team totals later on next week, but I was shocked at how few Nebraska reeled in. From 2006-10, they had just three. S Rickey Thenarse signed in '06, OT Baker Steinkuhler signed in '08 and OG Andrew Rodriguez signed in '10. Steinkuhler, of course, has moved to defensive tackle since. For a team that's won the North the past two seasons and at times looked like a national title contender in 2010, that's a pretty solid endorsement of Bo Pelini's coaching. He's won 29 games in his first three seasons, and his nationally-ranked class in 2011 signed four ESPNU 150 recruits alone. For all you non-mathematicians out there, that's more than 06-10 combined. That has to give Nebraska fans a whole lot of confidence about the program moving forward, even if three of those four signees are from Texas, where Nebraska may struggle to recruit after its move to the Big Ten. That, however, is a whole different post and discussion.
• As an overview of all this, I can't stand it when people decry the recruiting rankings system all together, declaring it worthless. It's not. I also can't stand it when others contend the rankings mean everything. They don't. The truth is right where it usually is: somewhere in the middle. Cite all the two-star recruits you want. I can come back with 10 more that showed in their college careers why they were two-star recruits. You can build a successful program on three and four-star signees, but the facts are this: if you keep reeling in top-level recruits, you've got a much, much greater chance of having big success. Bottom line, that's the truth. You'll encounter some busts among the five-stars. You'll encounter some gems in the two-stars. But recruiting rankings mean something, just not as much or as little as people like to think sometimes.

Phillip in Gering, Neb., asks: The Huskers just had another player suspended. Are these indicators that the players minds aren't fully on the game coming up and with that does it put Nebraska on upset alert?

David Ubben: No, it's not an indicator of anything more than a couple guys making bad decisions during a month-long stretch without a game. Obviously, after the Big 12 championship game, I highly doubt they're as fired up as they'd be if they were in the Fiesta Bowl, but I don't think that has anything to do with the DUIs. One of those was on the night of graduation, which I'm sure contributed to the problem and the other was mostly an isolated incident. Terrence Moore is quite capable of filling Baker Steinkuhler's role, and Rickey Thenarse wasn't even a starter at the end of the year. You don't like to see guys make mistakes like that, especially someone who has been through as much as Thenarse, but I don't see anything to read into.

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Faith S in Austin, Texas, asks: David, Do you think Texas is going to lose out on the chance to hire some great coaches with Mack insisting on waiting until after bowl season to officially hire replacements? A lot of the names I have heard thrown out there (the most recent being Addazio, now headed to Temple) are being hired by other schools, and it has me curious to see if we really will get the best replacements possible. Happy Holidays!

DU: It's possible, but Texas is reaching out to various guys and letting them know of its interest. It's not like it's sitting there waiting on bowls to be finished. There's been a whole lot of misinformation with this search, so it's hard to tell exactly what's going on, but it sounds like Mack Brown is spearheading this whole thing. Like I said earlier this week, there aren't a lot of home-run candidates in play right now, but ability is infinitely more important than name recognition. Texas is Texas, and plenty of people really want those coordinator and position coach jobs. Not everyone will wait, but plenty of good candidates will.

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Louie in Texas asks: Dubbs, Will you be sporting an ascot, smoking jacket, and pipe in your next video?

DU: That's the plan for 2011. It's the only way for fireside chats to go down. I'm also currently in the market for a monocle if anybody can help me out.

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Brett in Kansas City asks: David, Why do they have conferences wouldn't college football be simpler without without them?

DU: The short answer is no. Logistics and travel birthed conferences, which begat tradition that most schools wouldn't like to stop. As much complaining as schools do about the difficulty of scheduling four (now three for the Big 12) nonconference games, what would happen if that number ballooned to 12 for everyone? I can't even imagine. It's an interesting world to consider, but not one that could ever realistically even come close to a possibility.

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Patrick in Pensacola, Fla., asks: I've been wondering about the amazing play made my Brown for Okie St isn't treated as a forward lateral. I'm assuming its just a gray area in the rule since it doesn't happen that often?

DU: Interesting question, but no. Brodrick Brown never established full possession, so he was well within his right to tip the ball forward to Shaun Lewis for the interception. I hadn't even considered it until you brought it up, but I could see how some might wonder.

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Chris in KC, Mo., asks: As a Mizzou fan I hear all these things about how we don't travel well and on the other end of the spectrum how Nebraska fans are so great. I see Nebraska fans post comments on all media about how we get the bowl snub because we don't travel and they do. With the most recent bowl selections this year and the fact that Nebraska for once got snubbed and they are dealing with dissapointment, they all of a sudden aren't such a proud flocking fanbase. Do you think Nebraska fans are just like the rest of us and when they deal with dissapointment they aren't so loyal? I mean it's easy to go to snatch up tickets when you go to a bowl game that is above your expectations.

DU: Well, no. There's lots of reasons to believe otherwise. By Nebraska standards, the Huskers have had some pretty poor teams over the past decade. Fans still filled opposing stadiums like they're known to do, and that sellout streak never stopped, and now has 300 games well in the rearview mirror. Nebraska has been a powerhouse for the better part of those 300 games, but not all of them. Despite that, the streak lived on. A decade of consecutive losing seasons might end it, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

As for the bowl game this year, anyone going out to that isn't going for much more than a trip to San Diego. A banged-up Washington team the Huskers beat by 35 in Seattle in a bowl game that Huskers fans already went to last year -- and saw another beatdown of a Pac-10 team -- is about the worst possible draw you could ask for in convincing fans to travel for a bowl.

Yesterday, you saw my all-star teams broken down by division.

Before I offer my pick, here's a few thoughts and observations that emerged from selecting those teams.

• In comparing the divisions, there are several lopsided positions. The Big 12 South is every bit the quarterback oasis we thought it was, while the North, outside of Blaine Gabbert's arm and Taylor Martinez's legs, is a bit of a wasteland. All five quarterbacks in the South -- plus Steven Sheffield -- would represent the North after Gabbert, and based on the way Martinez played in conference games, maybe him, too.
• The same goes for the South and receivers. Somehow, Jeff Fuller couldn't make the South team, because he's got a pair of Biletnikoff finalists ahead of him. T.J. Moe and Scotty McKnight can get open in the middle of the field and both catch everything, but it's clear that all the big, fast receivers are in the South. The three aforementioned receivers, plus Kendall Wright, Lyle Leong, Detron Lewis and maybe Ryan Swope could have represented the North.
• Meanwhile, the running backs are the opposite, like we thought at the beginning of the year. Kendall Hunter is the league's best, but DeMarco Murray might have been bumped off the South team by a number of North backs, including Rodney Stewart, Daniel Thomas, Roy Helu Jr. Murray racks up a lot of catches and is probably more dangerous in the open field than any of those previous three, but those three got it done between the tackles way more often than Murray.
• Speaking of tackles, are there any good defensive tackles in the Big 12 North outside of Jared Crick? There are a lot of ends, so I put three on the team. Outside of maybe Nebraska's Baker Steinkuhler and Missouri's Terrell Resonno, there aren't many guys to fear in the middle of Big 12 North defenses. Could that perhaps be an explanation for the success of backs like Stewart, Thomas, and Helu? Can't hurt.

So what would happen?

Like we mentioned before, you'd see both teams rely on their strengths. If Blaine Gabbert is stepping back and throwing the ball 45 times to guys like McKnight and Moe all day, he's going to need a ton of completions to do it. The safer bet is to rely on those backs and a pretty strong offensive line. Ricky Henry and Zach Kendall might be two of the best run blockers in the Big 12, and their ballcarrier teammates benefited, so have them lead the way at the two guard positions.

It'd be a bit of a throwback offense for Gabbert, who is used to the spread at Missouri and in high school, but hey, it's only one game, right? He'll be OK. If the North was going to pull the upset, it'll have to do it with downhill running.

Meanwhile, expect the South to mix in plenty of those downhill runs with wide-open passing like most of them are used to. Swing passes to backs like Hunter and Murray would work well, and Ward served nicely as a lead blocker for Hunter.

Can you imagine the "backs" or "diamond" formation with Hunter, Murray and Ward? That's scary.

Through the air, how fantastic would Amukamara vs. Blackmon on one side and Broyles vs. Dennard on the other be? I want this game to happen. Somebody get Boone Pickens on the phone.

This game would be closer than it might seem coming in because of the North's salty secondary. That said, give me the boys down South by a touchdown.

South 27, North 20.

Nebraska defensive tackle Baker Steinkuhler won't play in the Holiday Bowl later this month.

Steinkuhler received a citation for driving under the influence in Lincoln earlier this week, and has been suspended by Bo Pelini, according to a report in the Lincoln Journal Star.

"I have met with Baker Steinkuhler and discussed the situation with him," Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said in a statement. "He is a tremendous young man who made a mistake in judgment. Baker will not participate in the Holiday Bowl against Washington. In terms of our football program, all other discipline for Baker will be handled internally."

More details of the police report can be found in the Star's report.

Steinkuhler started all 13 games as a sophomore for the Huskers this year. His 46 tackles rank seventh on the team, and he also added four tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

His father, Dean Steinkuhler, also won the Outland and Lombardi Trophies for Nebraska as an offensive lineman in 1983.

Nebraska will face Washington in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego on Dec. 30.

Nebraska coach Bo Pelini is blunt when he grades his team's run defense.

"Average," he said.

Average run defenses don't stop Daniel Thomas. Teams that don't stop Daniel Thomas run a high risk of losing to Kansas State.

Nebraska plays Kansas State on Thursday night in a nationally televised game on ESPN for its conference opener.

The Blackshirts don't need to be told that improvement is needed if they don't want a campaign for a second consecutive North title to get derailed before it gets rolling.

"All the things that’s happened to us, as far as wrong things in the run game, have been our fault," said defensive tackle Jared Crick. "They’ve been busts, misalignments, things that we can fix. Despite what people are saying about our run defense, I’m still very optimistic about what we can do as a unit when we’re clicking."

A year ago, with Ndamukong Suh plugging the middle of the defense, the Huskers ranked ninth nationally and second in the Big 12 against the run. So far in 2010, they've been the definition of Pelini's assessment of average. Through four games, Nebraska has slid to sixth in the Big 12 and No. 52 nationally out of 120 teams.

Fixing the problems that have precipitated the fall starts with communication.

"Even if it’s not defensive coaches’ call, as long as we’re on the same page we’re going to be fine. That’s just communication, making sure everybody’s talking to each other and everybody knows what’s going on. That’s the biggest thing we need to improve," Crick said. "Once we get that done, we can be a dangerous group."

The Huskers have one of the Big 12's most talented defensive lines, headlined by Crick and defensive end Pierre Allen. Defensive tackle Baker Steinkuhler and spectacularly mustachioed defensive end Cameron Meredith fill out the line. The Huskers are also breaking in new starters, Lavonte David and Alonzo Whaley, at linebacker. They've made plays but have also made mistakes, which is what raw first-year starters do.

"We have guys who know what they’re doing, it’s just this is their first season starting. It’s a little different, your first season. You’re not as confident in yourself; you’re trying not to mess up instead of going out there and playing a good game," Crick said. "I definitely saw improvement from our linebackers throughout the whole season."

Nebraska faced Thomas in its final regular season game last year and kept him out of the end zone, but he rushed for 99 yards on 19 carries in the Huskers 17-3 win.

"He ran extremely hard, he didn’t take the sideline," Crick said. "He fought for every yard he got and that’s very respectable out of a running back. A lot of guys will take the sideline when they get it or won’t stand up in case another dude will come and hit them and injure them or something."

Thomas has been even better this season, and his 628 yards in four games are more than half his production in 12 outings a season ago.

"We’re up to the challenge," Crick said. "The biggest thing is just going to be us have to play our game. It doesn’t matter what they run at us, we have to be on our game and play our roles. If we do that, we can stop any running game in the country. That’s what we’re looking for and hopefully we can execute."

Bo Pelini is breaking out the Blackshirts early this year.

“We thought it was the right time,” Pelini told reporters on Wednesday. “It is a tradition, it's one that I believe in. You pick the time you think is right.”

Blackshirts, an honor for defensive excellence at Nebraska, don't usually come out this early in the season. But after coaches called last week's win at Washington one of the most complete games the team has played under Pelini, the honor shouldn't be too surprising.

The Huskers held Jake Locker to 4 of 20 passing for 71 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, including a pick on Locker's first pass of the day.

Here are the 12 players who'll be suiting up with black practice jerseys moving forward as first-team defenders:

• Pierre Allen, DE
• Baker Steinkuhler, DT
• Jared Crick, DT
• Cameron Meredith, DE
• Eric Martin, LB
• Lavonte David, LB
• Eric Hagg, LB/S
• Prince Amukamara, CB
• Alfonzo Dennard, CB
• DeJon Gomes, S
• Rickey Thenarse, S
• P.J. Smith, S

The next in our series examining the stretch of games that will make or break each team's season.

Now at bat: The Wildcats of Manhattan.

The stretch: Iowa State in Kansas City (Sept. 18), UCF (Sept. 25), Nebraska (Oct. 7) and at Kansas (Oct. 14)

The breakdown: Kansas State begins its conference schedule with three North teams and finishes with the other two, but the first stretch will have a big impact on how the remainder of the conference schedule plays out.

The matchup with Iowa State looks pretty even on paper, and last year's game came down to a blocked extra point. This year, two well-coached teams will return with two of the league's top running backs in Alexander Robinson and Daniel Thomas. It may not look as attractive as Texas Tech-Texas later that night, but the first conference game of 2010 should be a good one. This game could be as simple as most rushing yards wins, barring turnovers, but if Kansas State can get some consistent play from the quarterback position, it could win the game that, with apologies to the upcoming Nebraska-Iowa series, was christened "Farmageddon" by plenty of fans before any realignment talk surfaced.

Kansas State should beat UCF, but win or lose, it won't have a lot of effect on this particular stretch.

The Wildcats have plenty of doubters. Knock off the Huskers -- especially if they're unbeaten -- and they'll have a lot fewer in this Thursday night national broadcast on ESPN. Nebraska won't face a running game like Kansas State's in the nonconference, and after this game and Nebraska's trip to Seattle, we may have a good idea at how close the Blackshirts are to their 2009 counterparts. Shutting down Thomas -- especially if Baker Steinkuhler and Jared Crick are the guys who do it -- would quiet at least some of the "How can you be as good without Suh!?" talk.

Nebraska's run defense didn't look great against Western Kentucky, but they've got a month to fix it. I like Bo Pelini's chances of doing it.

After Kansas' debut, this looks like an easy pick, but it's a rivalry game in Lawrence, and like I wrote yesterday, don't judge a team solely by its Week 1 performance.

The Wildcats will have a great chance to put a stranglehold on the Big 12 North race early in the season. They'll start an attempt at doing it next week.

The prediction: 3-1, with a loss to Nebraska

More Key stretches:

• Texas Tech
• Texas A&M
• Texas
• Oklahoma State
• Oklahoma
• Nebraska
• Missouri
  

The number "20" is getting some major play in the college football section of ESPN.com today as we move through our month-long preview of the 2010 season.

And the Big 12 makes plenty of appearances in all 10 of our 20-piece lists you should check out.

Fittingly, we called it "20 for 10."

Here's what we've got today:

• Top 20 Heisman contenders: Don't count on the Big 12 bringing it home in 2010, but Oklahoma and Texas A&M make appearances.
• Top 20 college football superfans: Take note, Kansas Staters.
• Top 20 undersized running backs, courtesy of Pat Forde: This means you, Oklahoma State, Colorado, Texas A&M and Iowa State.
• Top 20 family ties: Texas, Nebraska, you'll enjoy this. As will the Newton and Steinkuhler families.
• Top 20 must-see games: Texas at Nebraska is No. 2, but the Big 12 makes two more appearances on the list.
• Top 20 teams with the best chance to win it all: You can probably guess who's on here, but head over anyway.
• Top 20 worst situations to be in: Perhaps the most intriguing of our lists, and the Longhorns made the cut twice.
• Top 20 debates over who to be: Blogger Andrea Adelson tackles 20 "would you rather" questions, with plenty of Big 12 quarterback flavor.
• Top 20 hot and cold things: Columnist Mark Schlabach runs down a nice hot or not list.
• Top 20 NFL prospects: Todd McShay turns in a list topped by Prince Amukamara and someone named Nathaniel Solder. Two more Big 12 players make the cut.

Schedule: Practice starts Saturday

What’s new: The safeties. Larry Asante and Matt O'Hanlon are gone, and in their place will likely be Austin Cassidy and Rickey Thenarse, who missed all of last season with a knee injury.

Key battle: Quarterback. Zac Lee, Cody Green and Taylor Martinez will go at it in preseason camp. Green and Martinez are more athletic, but Lee started most of last season and is the more polished passer. Lee missed all of spring after surgery on his throwing elbow, and coach Bo Pelini says the younger two closed the gap without Lee to grab hold of the starting job.

New on the scene: Defensive tackle Baker Steinkuhler. The heir apparent to Ndamukong Suh, he'll try to benefit from the attention sure to be shown his fellow defensive tackle Jared Crick, who was named the preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

Breaking out: Safety/linebacker hybrid Eric Hagg. The centerpiece of Nebraska's "Peso" scheme, Hagg will be a safety playing third linebacker in a 4-3 scheme that's capable of dropping back into pass coverage or coming off the edge on a speed rush. His 6-foot-1, 200-pound frame is solid, but his speed allows him to be versatile.

Don’t forget about: The running backs. Roy Helu Jr. rumbled for more than 1,200 yards last season, and sophomore Rex Burkhead figures to take a few of Helu's carries this season. If the offensive line dominates, both might flirt with 1,000 yards.

All eyes on: The entire defense. Pelini famously said this defense could be "five times better" than it was last year. But the Huskers gave up just more than 10 points a game during the previous season, the best in the country. If he can duplicate that performance after losing three players to the NFL Draft, including Suh, Pelini might take a reputation as a defensive mastermind to the Big Ten in 2011.

Quoting: "Business as usual. The way we run our program is we talk to our guys about focusing on the process and what they have to do on a day to day basis to have an opportunity to compete. That hasn't changed. You know, we really haven't talked much about it. We're looking forward to the fall, and we've been doing our homework on the opponents" -- Nebraska coach Bo Pelini on the move to the Big Ten

Here are three Huskers with relatively low profiles around the conference who you'll be hearing from in 2010:

Baker Steinkuhler, DT

Last season, defensive tackle Jared Crick benefited from all the attention drawn by star Ndamukong Suh, blossoming into one of the Big 12's top defensive players. This year, with Crick sure to face constant double teams, Steinkuhler, a sophomore and the son of Dean Steinkuhler, a former Nebraska center who won the Lombardi and Outland trophies, could potentially do the same. At 6-foot-6 and 290 pounds, Steinkuhler has the size to become a force in the middle of the defense as a first-year starter. He had 17 tackles and played in all but one game as the top reserve at defensive tackle in 2009.

Brandon Kinnie, WR

Only two receivers caught more than 20 passes for the Huskers in 2009. Kinnie could join that group in 2010 after catching just 15 passes for 141 yards as a junior college transfer in 2009. Fourteen of those 15 receptions came in the final eight games, when Kinnie caught at least one pass per game. The junior possesses outstanding size at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, and has become star receiver Niles Paul's workout partner. If Nebraska's quarterback play improves in 2010, Kinnie will be one of the key beneficiaries. He's still looking for his first career touchdown pass, but Kinnie had one of his best games against Texas in the Big 12 Championship, with two catches for 30 yards.

Austin Cassidy, S

Nebraska lost both safeties from last year's defense, Larry Asante and Matt O'Hanlon, but Cassidy looks ready to step into a starting role. The junior starred on special teams in 2009, notching nine tackles and playing some spot duty at safety. Cassidy appeared in all 14 games, and he'll be counted on to maintain Nebraska's defensive dominance from last year's Blackshirts. He was also one of just three players in the Big 12 with a perfect 4.0 GPA last season, earning first team Academic All-Big 12 honors.

More Fresh Faces:

• Texas Tech
• Texas A&M
• Texas
• Oklahoma State
• Oklahoma
  

Sad news from Texas.

• Former Baylor standout cornerback Anthony Arline was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in his San Antonio apartment, reports David Flores of KENS5 in San Antonio.
• Texas Tech's Neal Brown, Oklahoma State's Dana Holgorsen, Texas A&M's Tim DeRuyter and Kansas' Chuck Long made Sporting News' impact assistant coaches at new schools.
• KU's offensive line has impressed line coach J.B. Grimes, reports Matt Tait of the Lawrence Journal-World.
• Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman shares a long list of suggestions for the Big 12's new name, but says changing the name would be a bad idea.
• Young talent at Texas Tech may contribute on the defensive line, writes Michael Graham of the Dallas Morning News.
• Prince Amukamara, Von Miller, Jeremy Beal, DeMarco Murray and Niles Paul are among the top NFL prospects from the senior class, according to National, the league's leading scouting service.
• Nebraska DT Baker Steinkuhler lets his play do the talking, writes Jeff Miller in USA Today.
• Former Oklahoma State quarterback Alex Cate, who started last season's game against Colorado, is headed to Central Washington, reports Colter Nuanez at the Ellensburg (Wash.) Daily Record.
• Former Colorado star Jeremy Bloom is back in Colorado, hosting a kids football camp in Loveland, reports Joshua Lindenstein of the Boulder Daily Camera.

For the past two seasons, the Big 12's best have finished the season second to the SEC. Now, it's the entire conference's turn. The SEC should be king again, but the Big 12 is good enough to edge out the Big Ten as college football's second-best conference.

Ohio State will enter the season likely ranked in the top three, but the chances of the Buckeyes playing like they did against Oregon for an entire season are about as good as Nebraska's offense scoring 33 points a game.

Meanwhile, Texas and Oklahoma don't return Heisman frontrunners for the first time in three seasons, but give their young offenses plenty of room for error with two of the nation's best defenses, along with Nebraska, who lose Ndamukong Suh and a handful of other starters, but could still contend for the title of football's best defense, one they held in 2009.

Most have faith in Oklahoma and Texas to replace their departed stars each year, just as they've done over the past decade. Texas boasts nine consecutive 10-win seasons. Oklahoma has won 11 games or more in eight of the past 10 seasons. Nebraska is inching back into that territory, and new starters like Baker Steinkuhler, who could draw the task of replacing the House of Spears, will try to prod that perception of the Huskers nationally.

Though the Longhorns and Sooners lost Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford, neither faces a question at quarterback. Garrett Gilbert will try to build on the hype surrounding his performance in the national championship game and spring game. And Landry Jones, who performed well (3,198 yards, 26 TD) when his number was unexpectedly called as a redshirt freshman, now enters 2009 with almost an entire season as starter to build on.

The conference's second tier of teams, Missouri and Texas A&M, should enter the season flirting with top 25 status, and racking up a few early wins will only solidify it. It's up to them to make sure the conference strays far from top-heavy.

Beyond the Aggies and Tigers, Texas Tech, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Baylor could all overachieve and finish much higher than anyone will predict this preseason.

The Big Ten has a case for No. 2, but as a tiebreaker, let's just take the recent head-to-head record.

3-0 in last season's bowls, 2-0 in the season before that, plus a 1-1 record in head-to-heads last season? Guess that settles it.

Here's how the six BCS conferences measure up:

1. SEC

2. Big 12

3. Big Ten

4. Pac-10

5. ACC

6. Big East

Here, we'll take a look at a couple of key players going, staying and coming for each team in the Big 12.

Going:

Ndamukong Suh, DT

What's left to say about the House of Spears? Heisman finalist. No. 2 pick in the NFL draft. Future NFL star?

Suh dominated the college game last year and received plenty of accolades for it. The AP named him its player of the year. He took home the Bednarik, Lombardi, Outland and Nagurski awards. He was also the conference's defensive player of the year. Baker Steinkuhler will step in and help replace Suh, but his $2.6 million donation to the athletic department and university assures he won't be forgotten in Husker lore.

Larry Asante, S

Asante joined Matt O'Hanlon as the back line of the Blackshirts and helped the unit become the nation's best in 2009. Asante was drafted in the fifth round of last weekend's draft, one of three Nebraska defenders to be drafted. Suh and linebacker Phillip Dillard, who probably belongs on this list, too, will be playing in the NFL next season. The conference's coaches voted Asante to the All-Big 12 first team after Asante added 79 tackles in 2009, bringing his career total to 224. Asante picked off two passes as a senior, returning one for a touchdown against Louisiana-Lafayette.

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Staying:

Jared Crick, DT

Critics say Crick -- and his numbers -- benefited from playing alongside Suh. It certainly helped, but Crick wasn't gifted any of his 9.5 sacks in 2009. His highlight came in a win over Baylor, when he notched five sacks against the Bears. He enters 2010 as a possible preseason All-American and a big reason coach Bo Pelini is confident in his defense despite losing five starters from last year's unit.

Prince Amukamara, CB

Amukamara is one reason Pelini isn't scared of trusting in his new starters. A first-year starter in 2009, Amukamara emerged as one of the conference's best corners, intercepting five passes and breaking up 11 passes. He also added a pair of sacks, and has caught the eye of NFL scouts, who will be watching much closely as Amukamara joins Crick as two key pieces to a Nebraska defense hoping to validate high expectations in 2010.

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Coming:

Andrew Rodriguez, OL

Rodriguez, Nebraska's only ESPNU 150 recruit in 2010, comes to Lincoln as the No. 7 offensive guard in his class. Hardly lacking in size (6-foot-6, 298 pounds), the homegrown Nebraska product was the state's top prospect.

Corey Cooper, S

Don't look for Cooper on the field this season, but the 6-foot-1, 193-pound safety provides textbook size and 4.5 speed. He'll have a chance to learn from a group of safeties competing in front of him, and could blossom into another great Nebraska defender. A Proviso, Ill., native, Cooper also returned kicks in high school, but was ranked the No. 20 safety in the country.

More Revolving Door:

• Baylor
• Colorado
• Iowa State
• Kansas
• Kansas State
• Missouri
  

Welcome to The Mailbag where -- and I’m not exaggerating -- 75 percent of the questions came from Nebraska fans.

Lincoln really is immune to hoops fever, isn’t it?

I’ll resist the urge to make this a highlight reel of complaints (of varying levels of intensity/unintentional humor) about the lack of North coverage and get started.

Trevor from Nebraska asks: DO you think we could See a wildcat Formation with Burkhead As QB and Helu as RB with some options??

David Ubben: Maybe, but how about this: Why not commit to putting Cody Green at quarterback and implement the Florida triple option with Helu Jr. as the underneath inside option and Burkhead outside? That would be pretty tough to defend.

Justin Carter in Columbia, MO wins for best hardwood crossover lineup from yesterday’s post:

PG - DJ Monroe, WR Texas

SG - Robert Griffin, QB Baylor

SF - Aldon Smith, DE Missouri

PF - Baker Steinkuhler, OL Nebraska

C - Jarvis Jones, OL Oklahoma

How about this for a lineup. Thunder and Lightning.

David Ubben: Not bad, but your shooting guard has a slightly gimpy knee and your center is coming back from a fractured heel. Have to measure their minutes, and I hope you’ve got a solid bench. Otherwise, it’s one-and-done for you.

Jordan in Norman asks: Is it just me or is Stoops getting beat on recruiting by Mack Brown? He has pulled in a lot of 4 and 5 stars, while Stoops is having a little trouble getting some guys. OU's recruiting in Texas is not like it used to be. It seems like Mack is picking who he want then OU, OSU and A&M get the rest.

David Ubben: The short answer is yes, Bob Stoops is getting “out-recruited.” Recruiting experts have ranked Texas’ class above Oklahoma’s in four of the past five seasons.

Over that same span, both teams have been in the top 15 each year, and, more often than not, the top 10. Recruiting is almost a complete crapshoot, only slightly less so than the NFL Draft. When you’re consistently landing classes that high, there’s not a ton of difference. Some guys will turn out. Some won’t. All programs can do is develop them the best they can. Oklahoma’s best players the past two seasons -- Ryan Broyles in 2009 and Sam Bradford in 2008 -- were three-star recruits. Gerald McCoy was a five-star recruit. Sergio Kindle was a five-star recruit. Colt McCoy: three-star.

Some players are going to be better than coaches and recruiting experts thought. Some won’t be as good. But Oklahoma and Texas are evidence that, if you keep landing top 15 classes every year, you’re going to do pretty well.

Benson D. in Columbia, MO asks: Does MU still have the best Offense in the North this upcoming season in your estimation? And if so, could a more experienced defense give them their first shot at a Big12 title with the exodus of UT stars and OU stars if MU can get past Nebraska for the North?

David Ubben: They should. They bring back nine starters on offense, but lose their best weapon in Danario Alexander. Kansas actually led the North in scoring offense last year, but its defense and record in conference games was so bad, few noticed.

Blaine Gabbert’s maturation process looks on schedule, and he could have a big year if he stays healthy and young receivers like Jerrell Jackson and Wes Kemp can show some consistency. As for winning the Big 12, Nebraska has the inside track at the North since they host the Tigers, but it’s still pretty early to be definitively forecasting much. Gary Pinkel’s argument for a long time is you haven’t arrived until you’ve beaten Texas or Oklahoma. Pinkel is 0-11 against those two teams, and that will probably have to change in 2010 if Missouri wants a Big 12 title.

Alex in Des Moines asks: If iowa state is better team this year isnt it possible for them to take the north title. They did beat Nebraska and had a half time lead against missouri and beat colorado last season.

David Ubben: I don’t see it. Paul Rhoads admitted to me earlier this week that his team could be improved in 2010 and have a worse record. Iowa State’s schedule is extremely tough. They play Nebraska and Missouri at home, but have to go to Oklahoma and Texas in back-to-back weeks in October.