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Fast 40 countdown: Nebraska Cornhuskers

August 29, 2011  |  By Benjamin Miraski

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Last season: 10-4, 12th in the MRI

The good: Taylor Martinez should be entirely healthy by the time the season starts for the Cornhuskers. After being injured midway through the season, the quarterback didn't run as often as he had and that took some of the explosiveness out of the Nebraska offense.

But with Martinez and Rex Burkhead leading the running game, Nebraska should have no problem fitting into the Big 10. The Cornhuskers will bring in a mobile quarterback, which is a style only catching on in the conference.

Sure, Ohio State has had this formula for years, but other teams have been content to go with the old standard of having the running back do what its name implies. Every now and then, a team will find the mobile guy to run the offense. Indiana had Antwaan Randal-El; Michigan had Denard Robinson; and Wisconsin added Russell Wilson this season.

But overall, the quarterbacks in the Big 10 throw the ball and leave the smash mouth portion of the game to the guys that line up behind them.

And yet, that is where the competitive advantage should come in for Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are used to defending against both schemes, and should have no trouble shutting down the Big 10 offenses. And they will be able to exploit the experience advantage when running their offense.

The Big 10 teams just haven't caught up to the speed at which the mobile quarterback teams can play. Otherwise Ohio State wouldn't have so many conference titles in the last few seasons. Otherwise, Michigan wouldn't have looked unstoppable prior to Robinson getting hurt.

Nebraska could and should make the most of this opportunity and dominate the conference, the first time around, provided Martinez stays healthy.

The bad: There is not a lot of depth behind Martinez. Two quarterbacks that were supposed to be on the depth chart have left the team, and one -- Bubba Starling -- chose to play baseball instead of heading to Nebraska. If the sophomore goes down again, there is no Zac Lee to take his place.

Plus, the Cornhuskers managed to get the welcome mat pulled out from under them by the scheduling committee. Nebraska plays on the road at Wisconsin, at Penn State, and at Michigan (though they do luck into having Michigan State in Lincoln in the toughest Legends game). The trips to Madison and Ann Arbor will be especially difficult, although Nebraska is used to tough games in Texas and Oklahoma.

And really, when the worst thing you can say about a team is its schedule, that is a good sign.

Best name: Dijon Washington

Trending: Up - It is hard to think that the Cornhuskers will go undefeated this season, especially with the road trips within the conference. But Nebraska should make an appearance in the Big 10 title game, and be in the running for a shot at the National Championship. This is an experienced team, with a strong defense, and a mobile quarterback who was brilliant as a freshman save for a single game during the year. Nebraska almost pulled a major upset of Oklahoma to get into the BCS last season, and the road to one of the big pay games should be easier this time out. Nebraska should be in the top five of the MRI all season long, and have an outside change at the top spot if they can win on the road.

Posted August 29, 2011 12:39 PM

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