Surprise quarterback starter this weekend!

Everybody is talking Lee or Martinez as starters this week, so be to be different this writer goes with Cody Green. Why Cody Green? There has been things said by the coaches like they don't want to create a "circus atmosphere" about naming a starter earlier. They don't know "how some players will react to their first game jitters as a starter." This may be in reference to the quarterback position. This narrows the choice down to Taylor Martinez and Cody Green. I think the coaches like Green and he does have some game experience so Cody Green will start our first game. Of course he may not be the starter at the end of the season which is most important!

The only starters, for sure on defense, look to be Pierre Allen, Jared Crick, Steinkuhler, and Meredith, Prince, Dennard, and Harvey. The rest of the positions are close and we will see a lot of different starters this next year. One linebacker position and the two safeties that start look to be unknown at this time. Look to see 25 different defensive players on the field even in the tough games, which Western Kentucky is not.

Again just having more fun with predictions. We'll see all three quarterbacks on Saturday and I think they will all perform well. I think the quarterback race will go most of the season.

Now on to the conference alignment.

One side will consist of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin while Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska and Northwestern will be in the other division. Each school will play the other five schools within its division and will also play three teams from the other division, including one cross-division matchup guaranteed on an annual basis. The first championship game will be played December 3, 2011, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Here are the schedules for 2011 and 2012 for Nebraska.

2011 NU Big Ten Schedule
Oct. 1 - @Wisconsin
Oct. 8 - Ohio State
Oct. 15 - Bye
Oct. 22 - @Minnesota
Oct. 29 - Michigan State
Nov. 5 - Northwestern
Nov. 12 - @Penn State
Nov. 19 - @Michigan
Nov. 26 - Iowa

2012 NU Big Ten Schedule
9/29 - Wisconsin
10/6 - @Ohio State
10/13 - Bye
10/20 - @Northwestern
10/27 - Michigan
11/3 - @Michigan State
11/10 - Penn State
11/17 - Minnesota
11/24 - @Iowa

2011 will be a very tough schedule for Nebraska. Ohio State, at Wisconsin, at Michigan, Michigan St., Iowa, at Penn State, and Washington. I think Pelini will love this schedule because he likes to take on the best every week but it will be a murderous schedule. I will wonder how the Nebraska fans will like the jump to the Big 10 after 2011. Hopefully we can take one challenge at a time and be successful.

Nebraska will need to play Penn State in a cross-divisional game on an annual basis. This will be a tough annual game and will give some of the other teams in the division an advantage for the best record. This schedule gives parity somewhat to the conference.