Nebraska Football: Why the Cornhuskers Can Be a Top 10 Team All Year

In the first AP poll of the year, the Nebraska Cornhuskers currently sit just on the edge of the top 10. But, is this team really good enough to be ranked No. 10 right now?

Is it possible they could stay in the top 10 wire-to-wire, finally giving Husker fans the return to national prominence they've been in search of?

For as difficult as the schedule seems on paper right now, it does set up quite nicely for the Huskers to consistently find a home in the top 10 for the whole year.

The Huskers' first test will come on Sept. 17 in a revenge game against Washington in Lincoln. Bo Pelini will surely have his team paying attention to a pesky Fresno State team the previous week as well.

Another tune-up comes the following week in Wyoming before the real fun starts.

The Huskers head to Madison to take on what will surely be a fellow top 10 team in Wisconsin. The Badgers return 12 starters from last year's Rose Bowl squad, while also adding one of the best quarterbacks in the nation with Russell Wilson's transfer.

This is Nebraska's first legitimate chance of a loss and it doesn't get much easier with Ohio State coming home the next week.

Despite this road block of games, it is conceivable to see the Huskers at least splitting this pair, which would keep them in or at least on the brink of the top 10.

A layup against Minnesota is followed by a very good, well-coached team in Michigan State. Tough to see a loss here, but it wouldn't be shocking at all if the Cornhuskers dropped one here.

If the Huskers can manage to make it to the final three games with just one loss, it is not illogical to think they can stay a top 10 team all year.

With the amount Nebraska brings back on both sides of the ball, look for the Huskers to clinch a spot in the inaugural Big Ten championship.

Who knows, the Cornhuskers will probably show up in Indianapolis in a similar fashion to how they opened the season: firmly entrenched in the top 10.