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The level of wanting to know in this state is so high. Nebraskan’s want to know their quarterback. It’s our kid. To be three days away from kickoff and still not have quarterback named has caused a fit.

All of that wonder will become reality on Saturday afternoon. The “circus environment” that head coach Bo Pelini doesn’t want to create will certainly create a fallout. How can you be a preseason favorite, yet be unsettled at the key position? Or appear to be?

It’s Taylor Martinez. That’s what I think. Would naming Zac Lee cause a stir? No, because he’s the conservative guy, who started 12 games last year. Sean Callahan, Huskers beat reporter, has said it’s Martinez since day one. He’s said to “believe the buzz.” I’ve been right there from what I hear. Play the guy with the most ability: fast, strong, big, young. He’s the playmaker. From an athletic standpoint, he can make what Lee can’t.

Last Friday, I talked with a players Dad who just got off the phone with son. At that time, the job was still “even” according to him. I never agreed with starting Cody Green in the middle of last year. There’s a learning curve that wasn’t established. If Martinez is put in now, he gets experience against the likes of Western Kentucky and South Dakota State. Right now, the question mark is still our offense. It could be all year.

So go trot him out there Bo. Because even though you won’t say he’s the starter, the feel is that he is.

The college football season is only a matter of weeks away. A lot of experts want to tell you Alabama is the team this year. They’ve got Heisman winner Mark Ingram returning, along with Greg McElroy and the next best NFL wide receiver in Julio Jones. They’ll definitely be right there when the season ends.

I think the Tide are sick. Don’t get me wrong. But in the year of the unusual, in the year of teams bouncing around for new conferences and such, why not throw out a game, featuring two teams where if one wins, they could very well go on to win the title? Is Virginia Tech or Boise State the precursor to Alabama?

It doesn’t get any bigger than their matchup week one, yes week one, at FedEx Field on September 5. Why this game is on a neutral site still boggles me. But it starts the season right, in the best fashion. If it’s at Lane Stadium, chalk up a win for the Hokies. If the Broncos win, and they certainly can, this is their year to finally make a run, once again in Arizona, but this time for all the marbles. The Boise State Broncos as your College Football Champions? Why not? Butler almost just took won March Madness.

Tyrod Taylor. Kellen Moore. Ryan Williams. Jeremy Avery. This game has “watch me” all over it. Is it crazy to say the winner of this could go on to win it all. I don’t think so.

Nebraska joining the Big Ten might be the biggest news to college football in years. It’s a big move for the school, like I mentioned in a previous blog post. But for college football its bigger where it might create a domino effect, with teams left and right moving conferences. It was bound to happen sometime.

The Big Red isn’t Darth Vader in this circumstance. We aren’t the bad guy. Any other school with an offer on their table would have entertained the thought. The perception of Nebraska nationwide seems to be that we are breaking college football up piece by piece, realigning it. But not so fast. We are just the first to figure out the future. More money. More sharing between teams. Not a one-sided conference.

While Nebraska may have accelerated this process by joining the Big Ten, there’s a saying of “don’t chew what you can’t swallow.” Nebraska is leaving a lot behind, tradition, rivalries and such. This is bold.

This will have an amazing ripple effect within the coming weeks or months. The Big East will have a new landscape, as with the Mountain West.

Nothing bothers me about Nebraska jumping ship from the Big 12 for the Big Ten. Potentially, this is a great move.

You can’t really dispute why this doesn’t work. Competition wise, it’s a great fit. Nebraska is geographically centered in the Midwest, that’s a bonus. And best of all, there’s top of the line athletics. Football is enough in itself to sell the Big Red.

Nebraska fans are concerned of losing tradition and losing rivalries. But what rivalry is there? The Oklahoma series went down the drain years ago. Kansas is pud. Maybe that leaves Colorado, if that. And that’s only because it’s the same day every year the game is played, the Friday following Thanksgiving. If you ask me, playing Iowa every year would mean much more than what Nebraska already has on their belt. It would be the battle for the corn.

The only question I have is how does having “mega conferences” work for bowl season? Is there even a bowl season? Or does this setup for a playoff formation?

Simply put, the Big Ten is head and shoulders above the Big 12. They just have better schools, athletically and academically. It’s a spotlight league. Not a shadow league. This is pretty straight forward.

I don’t like to be premature. You know, the type of guy who arrives at the party first. But tonight I am in this post. Football is a ways away, but in the state of Nebraska, it’s always on our minds. It’s all we have.

For the Big Red, we’re 89 days away from kicking off against Western Kentucky on September 4. Athlon Sports recently released their preseason Top 25 rankings, and to much surprise, Nebraska tabbed as high as No. 7. If you ask me, that’s eye-popping. In a lot of ways, it’s not good. It means high expectations and a big load to carry, in everyones eyes, fans in Nebraska and nationwide. You are expected to live up to the hype.

Not that Nebraska doesn’t deserve it, because they certainly do after almost shaking up college football last year, but I almost want to say I’d rather be a middle of the pack team. It’s too early to be “back.”

So, if the ship is set to sail this year, it rests on Rex Burkhead. It’s rumored he added 15 pounds to his frame in this offseason. He’s a true downhill runner, who always falls forward on tackles, getting that extra yard. While Roy Helu Jr. is by far the lead starting running back, don’t sleep on Burkhead to get as much carries or more a game, probably around 15. He’s the forefront in the “wild-corn” formation, a highlight in the Bowl Game win. He’s just that tough, gritty player.

You can talk Cody Green, Prince Amukamara, Jared Crick and others who will certainly be key, but Burkhead is where it rests if this team wants to live up to that preseason ranking. The running game is our best friend. Football season is coming up, and Nebraska fans are wishing, waiting, and wanting it already.

I’m looking forward to the Heisman ceremony tomorrow night on ESPN. I can honestly say I’ve never gotten psyched for this before. But that’s what happens when somebody is in it that kept you glued to the TV all year, and that would be Ndamukong Suh.

What a year it’s been for the big fella. Does he win it tomorrow night? Probably not. I personally think that if he blocks the last-second field goal in the Big XII Championship game, then he does. You need a Heisman moment, and that would have been his. I won’t be disappointed if he doesn’t. It’s the fact that he made it there, on center stage, as a defensive player. That’s just unheard of.

He’s undoubtedly the best interior lineman I’ve seen play at Nebraska. He runs through people.

Since Heisman’s are a beauty contest, Mark Ingram of Alabama will win. He had his moments on the best defense in the country with Florida last Saturday. Suh will get second followed by Toby Garhart, Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow.

If you asked me whether Mark Mangino was safe at Kansas, I’d say no. We’ve seen it in the past, any coach that answers questions about their future sees the writing on the wall. It happened here to Frank Solich. It happened to Bill Callahan. It’s been talked about for awhile now between Bobby Bowden, Charlie Weis and just this weekend with Mangino. You’re just not safe, and if Mangino thinks he can defend himself and his football program by going on radio stations and in newspapers, he’s wrong. The damage is done.

I credit Mangino for what he’s done since going to Kansas in 2002. He’s taken them from being down under. But six straight losses, anger management problems, and soon no bowl game will account to being fired. It would be scary to be a week-to-week coach. But winning is what cures. They’re not winning now, and won’t win anytime soon once recruits jump ship and a guy like Dezmon Briscoe declares early for the NFL Draft.

Let’s face it, Nebraska is just not that good of a football team. Growing up in the 90’s, it was so easy to takes win for granted. But anymore, they’re hard to come by, and you can credit better recruiting by teams and overall just more parody in the game today as a result. But when I start to look at the 2009 season for the Big Red, two things are sticking out to me and telling me why this team is nowhere near the Florida’s and USC’s. Being 4-3 might be a false positive.

• 4th and Goal results in a Punt against Virginia Tech
• More turnovers than points against Iowa State

It’s Week 8 as Nebraska plays Baylor this week. And even without a Robert Griffin, the Huskers have their hands full. In the 90’s, Texas Tech and Baylor used to be a laughing stock. Until now. How is a -12 point favorite is beyond me, when we can’t score 7 against a middle of the pack Cyclones team. Take it as you want it, but remember those two bullets above and if you’re thinking like me, this team is almost going downhill rather fast.

It’s less than 24 hours until kickoff when Nebraska faces an always scary Texas Tech football team. This game, and don’t kid yourself, should worry you more than it is. The Big Red have yet to see an offense this legit. Is it crazy to say this game makes or breaks the rest of our season? I don’t think so.

As much as I’d love to believe we have this one in the bags, we don’t. Texas Tech is not your 2008 styled team with Michael Crabtree and Graham Harrell. But this won’t stop them from putting up at least 25 or more on us tomorrow afternoon. We’re the 2nd best scoring defense in the nation, but spread offenses tend to give us trouble. And they run arguably the best one out there. They are a not a program that rebuilds, they reload.

So how do we win tomorrow? Here’s my keys:

• Contain Tech QB, Steven Sheffield. He’s faster than previous “system” QB’s.
• Score quick. We’ll have to match Tech point for point.
• Leadership. Somebody other than Ndamukong Suh has to step up.
• Combat Tech’s quick release game. Don’t let them control tempo.
• Win field position. Special teams could come in handy.
• Stay classy. Continue to not turn the ball overall. Zac Lee = 2 turnovers all year.
• Be consistent. We have to play for 4 quarters, not 1 like Missouri.

In the end, I like Nebraska 35 – Texas Tech 30. But get geared up, this game could very well come down to who has the ball last.

I don’t think it’s crazy to still say Zac Robinson for Heisman. He was my dark horse going into the year. I told various people who all thought I was crazy. After six weeks, I still think the trophy is up for grabs with no clear cut front-runner.

Now three guys we originally thought at the beginning of the year, Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow haven’t necessarily played all sparkingly yet. The very unforeseen and untoward can still truly happen. As we get into conference play, things start to heat. With Oklahoma State only at one-loss, I believe Zac has an outside chance with even another loss on their record. Through five games, OSU is 4-1. Robinson ranks in the Top 15 of National QB ratings with 158.1. Eight touchdowns and three interceptions is not shabby, but he’ll have to build on that quite fast. Bradford won the award with 36 touchdowns in 2008.

Let’s keep an eye on Zac. I think he’s that special. Losing Dez Bryant will definitely hurt, but for Zac, this is his time to shine and prove to people that he can play without an All-American wideout.