Big Ten roundup: Nebraska

We're zero games into this Iowa-Nebraska Big Ten rivalry thing and we've already got a Hatfields and McCoys situation.

Cornhuskers linebacker Sean Fisher will return from a broken leg that cost him the entire 2010 season. Freshman safety Cole Fisher might have a chance to see time on special teams -- and maybe beyond, let's not put boundries on the kid -- for the Hawkeyes this fall.

Yes, they are brothers. They're from Omaha. Iowa recruited Sean and struck out to the home team. Cole committed to Iowa early, so his recruiting didn't hit warp speed. Nebraska didn't offer, but he was set on Iowa even if a late charge would've come.

Fight, fight, fight!

"There's not a huge amount of talk about football in our house just with both me and Cole playing for all these years," said Sean Fisher, who'll be a junior this season. ". . . When we go home, it's a place where we can get away from football, talk about family and other things, focus on some other important things."

Fight, fight, fight?

"I think it's going to be really cool to play against him," Cole said.

Um hey, never mind on that. Family first, of course.

This is Nebraska's first charge into the Big Ten, which they joined last June. You hear football coaches talk about "new preparations" a lot. That basically means their team is facing another for the first time. NU coach Bo Pelini and his staff is looking at 12 new preps next season, with Washington being the only holdover from 2010.

"It's a bit of a challenge," Pelini said. "Really just requires a little more work in the offseason. We've always gone ahead and looked at the new opponents that are on our schedule. We just have a few more to look at this year.

"Ultimately, we're really just kind of trying to develop an idea of who they are, what their philosophies are, what they like to do. Then obviously you get into a week where you're getting ready to play that football team, then you dive into your specifics."

Quarterback Taylor Martinez had a bit of a nutty 2010. He started the season on fire, rushing for more than 100 yards in five of the first seven games and then tailing off because of an ankle injury. As a passer, he had three games pass efficiencies of more than 200, a crazy, winning number.

Rumors that he was headed out of Nebraska proved false.

"I think Taylor has had a really good spring," Pelini said. "He's done a lot of good things. I think all of our quarterbacks have gotten better. I like our depth at that position. We have a number of options there. We have a lot of guys we feel can go in and play some winning football for us, Taylor included. I think that's a positive sign for us offensively."

Nebraska Cornhuskers

• Division: Legends
• 2010 record: 10-4, 6-2 Big 12 
• Returning offensive starters (7): WR Brandon Kinnie, OL Mike Caputo, Jeremiah Sirles, TE Ben Cotton, TE Kyler Reed, QB Taylor Martinez, FB Tyler Legate
• Returning defensive starters (7): DL Jared Crick, DL Cameron Meredith, Baker Steinkuhler, LB Lavonte David, DB Austin Cassidy, CB Alfonzo Dennard, DB Courtney Osborne
• 2010 review: The Huskers has an incredibly streaky 2010. They started the season on fire, winning their first five games while hardly breaking a sweat. Of course, the toughest test was a middling Washington team, but it was at Washington so the thrashing (56-21) was still impressive. Then, they lost to Texas. They lost the game that they (whoops) sort of circled in a video released last spring. Then came impressive wins over No. 17 Oklahoma State and No. 7 Missouri, before a 9-6 loss to Texas A&M touched off a streak where the Huskers lost three of their final four, including Washington's revenge, a 19-7 loss in the Holiday Bowl.
• 2011 schedule: S3 UT-Chattanooga; S10 Fresno State; S17 Washington; S24 at Wyoming; O1 at Wisconsin; O8 Ohio State; O15 OPEN; O22 at Minnesota; O29 Michigan State; N5 Northwestern; N12 at Penn State; N19 at Michigan; N25 Iowa
• Noteworthy: There was no fee to join the Big Ten, unless you count the Huskers' schedule for the 2011 football season. Factor that in and the cost is eleventy hundred million. It's basically everyone who's been worth a cleat in the Big Ten in the 2000s and beyond. First Big Ten game, at Madison. Second, at Columbus.
• Quotable: “As far as playing Ohio State, I've done that once. Obviously having played there, understanding the tradition, what that all entails, it's going to be a heck of a challenge. Our team looks forward to that challenge. Ohio State obviously included, but there's a tremendous amount of tradition in that conference, a lot of great football has been played there over a long period of time. We're happy to be bringing our tradition, our history, coming in, joining that, getting a chance to play in some great venues against some really good football teams." -- Nebraska coach Bo Pelini