"We didn't come here to go 7-6. ... We came here to compete for this," Matt Rhule said as he pointed toward the conference championship trophy during 2026 Big Ten Media Days in Chicago. "And being here today with teams who won the national championship, it’s inspiring. … We understand that we have to take a step this year. We’re excited to do that."It is easy to forget what the Nebraska Cornhuskers once were, a blue blood that had the respect of the college football world. Today, the Huskers are still considered a blue blood, but many people may have lost respect for them over the last decade. From 2017 to 2023, Nebraska struggled mightily, posting seven straight losing seasons. Matt Rhule has since led Nebraska to back-to-back bowl appearances, but both seasons ended with a 7-6 record. Nebraska wants more from Rhule. The good news is that Nebraska feels different this season. The Quarterback and Offensive LineThe offense appears to have improved. The Dylan Raiola era is over, and the Huskers have brought in the 2025 Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, quarterback Anthony Colandrea. Colandrea comes as a breath of fresh air after some rather ugly showings at times from Raiola, due to his lack of speed and pocket awareness. Colandrea, a dual-threat QB, threw for 3,459 yards, 23 touchdowns, and only nine interceptions last season at UNLV while adding 649 yards on the ground and 10 touchdowns. The Raiola era in Lincoln wasn't something many fans will remember fondly, as it felt like nothing but "what could've been," with two 5-1 starts and two 7-6 finishes. Colandrea brings a whole new dynamic to the QB role and should make Nebraska's offense more dangerous. The dual-threat capability alone gives Nebraska's offensive coordinator, Dana Holgorsen, more freedom with his play calls. It is hard to defend a QB when you must account for both his legs and his arm, which is one reason Husker fans should believe in Nebraska's new offense. There are more reasons, however.The offensive line is experienced and big, as the Huskers return Justin Evans, Elijah Pritchett, and Gunner Gottula. Nebraska still added Paul Mubenga, Tree Babalade, and Brendan Black through the portal, who are all stars in their own right. Nebraska's offensive line has plenty of depth and should be hard to deal with in the running and passing games. It is also notable that Evans was recently named to the 40-man watch list for the Rimington Trophy. The Receiving Corps and Running Back RoomNebraska's 2025 receiving corps wasn't as good as it could've been. But 2026 is different. Nebraska returns ample talent, including Jacory Barney Jr. and Nyziah Hunter. The Huskers also add Kwazi Gilmer from UCLA, adding significant depth and talent. Barney, Gilmer, and Hunter alone provide the Huskers with a better receiving corps in 2026 than in 2025. The hype around the WR room is real with such weapons. Nebraska would like to see some improvements from those three guys, but even as it stands now, Nebraska likes its top three.The depth at the position is also elite. Quinn Clark and Cortez Mills Jr. showed flashes of brilliance as freshmen in 2025. Clark, with his frame (6'5"), has the ability to be fantastic. Mills showed speed in 2025 and could be a difference-maker as well. Nebraska could also have a healthy Demitrius Bell, who has never even recorded a reception, but fans shouldn't forget about him. Add Janiran Bonner, who can be used at several different positions and has been called a "safety blanket" by Holgorsen, and you have quite a wide receiver group. The tight end room also has the potential to be good with several youngsters and a returning senior, Luke Lindenmeyer. Lindenmeyer is a great blocking TE, but he also brings value as a receiver with 29 receptions, 312 yards, and two touchdowns. Eric Ingwerson, Carter Nelson, and Luke Sorenson could all see snaps in 2026 as well, especially the former highly touted recruit Nelson, who is finally healthy. The Huskers have the receiving corps they want in 2026. The running back room has five players who could compete for the starting job: Isaiah Mozee, Kwinten Ives, Jamal Rule, Mekhi Nelson, and Tikey Hayes. Fall camp will help determine who sees the most snaps in 2026, but all should have a decent chance to be big factors on the offense. Mozee and Nelson seem like early favorites to be the starter given their experience in 2025. But Ives has shown flashes of potential, while Rule can be a dangerous running back as a true freshman. Hayes remains a question mark with little experience, but the Penn State transfer did get three carries against Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl. Even with the lack of experience for the room, which is no doubt a concern for Husker fans, Nebraska doesn't seem worried about the position.Holgorsen himself said that Emmett Johnson's emergence last season led many younger guys in the room to get less playing time than they expected. Johnson, now with the Kansas City Chiefs, compiled 1,451 yards on the ground. With no Johnson in 2026, these young backs have a chance to prove themselves. The D-line and Linebacker RoomNebraska has switched from the 3-3-5 defense to the 4-2-5 scheme under new defensive coordinator Rob Aurich. The secondary was elite in 2025, ranking among the best in the nation, but the run defense was anything but good. That wasn't helped by the lack of experience and size on the defensive line, which led to Nebraska having an abysmal 22 sacks as a team. With a base of four D-linemen instead of three, the overall sack numbers should improve.Nebraska returns edges Williams Nwaneri, Cam Lenhardt, and Kade Pietrzak, while also adding Anthony Jones Jr. from the portal. Nwaneri and Pietrzak showed flashes of brilliance in 2025 as freshmen, but the Huskers will look for more sacks from both. Lenhardt, a fourth-year senior, needs to put up better numbers after registering only two sacks in 2025. When it comes to stopping the run, the interior D-linemen will be critical. The Huskers return some interesting talent in Riley Van Poppel and Dylan Parrott, but they also added Owen Stoudmire and Jahsear Whittington through the portal plus a highly touted blue-chip high school recruit in Dylan Berymon. Nebraska needs to simply not be bullied up front by the Big Ten's offensive lines. Penn State, Iowa, and Utah all had large and talented O-lines that gave Nebraska a hard time. All three games ended in blowouts.The Huskers added some size by bringing in Berymon and Stoudmire, while their returning talent is something Nebraska would love to develop. Whittington can be a sack problem and help Nebraska generate pressure. The D-line has been amazing in the recent past, but can it come back after a down year? When it comes to the linebackers, the Huskers have a deep room with some talented stars. The Huskers return one likely starter, Vincent Shavers Jr., who they want to see have a true breakout. There is some untapped potential on Shavers that Nebraska knows is there.Nebraska also added an accomplished linebacker through the portal in Owen Chambliss, who had some strong stats with Aurich at San Diego State: 109 total tackles (68 solo, fourth best in the nation), five passes defended, one interception, and four sacks. He is a balanced defender capable of helping both the run and pass defenses.Nebraska's depth at linebacker includes Jacob Bower, Dexter Foster, Will Hawthorne, Christian Jones, Dylan Rogers, and Dawson Merritt. These players also give Nebraska some options at the hybrid position (a mix of linebacker and defensive back). Merritt, who was ranked by 247Sports as the seventh-best linebacker in the 2025 recruiting class, does appear to be the potential hybrid. Still, the competition there will be something to watch in fall camp. The SecondaryOnly two defensive backs appear guaranteed to be starting: cornerback Andrew Marshall and SDSU transfer safety Dwayne McDougle III. Those two already make the secondary dangerous, but some interesting names that could compete for substantial playing time are the following: S Rex Guthrie, S Jamir Conn, CB Donavan Jones, CB Victor Evans III, CB Danny Odem III, CB Jeremiah Charles, and CB Mario Buford. The list is long, proving that there is depth and talent.Some are a lock to see playing time, including Jones, who was valuable on the elite 2025 secondary. Right now, not much is known about the competition in the defensive backfield. But it is clear that the secondary is deep and talented, giving Aurich the ammunition for another impressive defensive showing from the pass defense in 2026.In 2025, the Huskers were third in the nation with with only 154 yards passing allowed per game. On top of that, Nebraska was second in the nation with the longest pass allowed being only 50 yards. The best team in that category was none other than Aurich's San Diego State Aztecs. The Aztecs had an elite secondary, recording more interceptions than touchdowns allowed and ranking sixth in the nation with 164 yards allowed per game.The coaching and talent ingredients are there for Nebraska's secondary to maintain its top-shelf status in 2026. Aurich will have more to work with in Lincoln than he did in San Diego. The defensive line will need to do its part by keeping opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable, but keeping the secondary excellent is important.The Huskers' run defense from 2023-24 was good, with veteran players like Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher playing big roles. But the secondary during those seasons wasn't ideal, and teams took advantage. The Huskers shut down players like TreVeyon Henderson and Quinton Judkins, who ran for 25 and 29 yards against the Huskers in 2024. However, Will Howard still found success through the air with three touchdowns and 221 yards as Ohio State held on for a 21-17 win. In other words, Nebraska doesn't want to go backwards in terms of the pass defense.Each position group has its weaknesses that need to be addressed. However, the Huskers have a lot of returning talent and didn't lose much to the transfer portal, giving fans reason to believe this could be a big year. Nebraska had many unanswered questions going into 2025, especially on the D-line. This season, the Huskers still have questions. But at this point, they don't seem as glaring as they were in 2025. Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube and visiting HuskerMax.com<4/a> daily.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow