LINCOLN -- Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN analyst and college football share trader, told his viewers on Saturday morning that Nebraska is "a stock to buy now."

Herbstreit then doubled down on a prediction he had made that the Huskers would start the season 7-0.

Don't look now, but Big Red is the flavor of the month.

Folks all over college football are buying into Nebraska, which is 3-0 after a spanking of Northern Iowa on Saturday night.

The 2024 Huskers are improved, different and look the part of a program on the rise.

But...7-0?

That would include a 4-0 start in the Big Ten with wins over Illinois, Purdue, Rutgers and Indiana.

I'm old enough to remember when Nebraska lost "winnable" games like those -- sometimes in bumbling fashion, sometimes ugly. It wasn't that long ago.

But the evidence from three home nonconference wins this month is compelling enough for you to consider getting your broker on the phone.

This looks like a Nebraska team built to win Big Ten games.

That certainly hasn't always been the case. In fact, there were some years NU fans cringed at the thought of taking a finesse group into battle in the land of black and blue under gray skies.

The numbers back that up. In 13 seasons in the Big Ten, Nebraska is 50-61 with five winning conference records and eight losing.

NU has had a losing record in the Big Ten the last seven years -- with no more than three league wins in any season -- and eight of the last nine seasons.

It's all because Nebraska coaches thought they had a better way than the boring physical, clean football that was like a secret password in the Big Ten.

It's only a three-game sample size. But as the Huskers open the expanded Big Ten next Friday against Illinois, real hope exists that those days are behind Big Red.

Could this be Nebraska's best Big Ten team? Bo Pelini was 22-10 in his four seasons in the league. But Matt Rhule's 2024 Huskers have a lot of answers.

There's a defense that has played elite, allowing just 20 points in three games -- the best since Kevin Cosgrove's 2005 bunch.

Tony White's warriors are big and physical up front, not to mention mean and fast. The linebackers run downhill to close gaps. The secondary covers and tackles well.

In fact, this defense has tackled well at every position and angle. It's been a defense that has a good instinct, knows when it's time to make a play -- and makes it.

Now mix in some attitude and confidence -- two necessary attributes for a great defense.

That's a very good place to start in the Big Ten.

Across the line, the Huskers' offensive line is improved. It hasn't always been up to the challenge. But when the game plan called for them to maul a soft Colorado team, they mauled them.

They haven't played a Big Ten schedule. But you can see that physicality has been stressed by Rhule and Donovan Raiola. Some NU O-Lines weren't up to the task in the Big Ten. This one should be able to hold its own.

So there's a Nebraska team that is big and physical on both sides of the trenches. That puts them ahead of most of the others right there.

There are big, playmaking receivers. There are tight ends and they use them. There's two running backs -- one who can catch a pass and make people miss and a big back who can run over people.

Dante Dowdell looks -- and runs -- like he was ordered from the Amazon Big Ten store.

Last but never least is Dylan Raiola, who in three games has all of college football talking about his effortless brilliance. But the best thing about Raiola so far is his ability to make routine plays go for first downs and touchdowns. He also has a knack for making a big play at the exact moment one is needed.

He has an uncanny maturity. If you didn't know he was a freshman, you'd never guess it.

It's an offense that has played to its mismatches, getting physical with Colorado and going over the top with a physical UNI defense -- which didn't have the speed to keep up with NU.

For good measure, offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield lined up Heinrich Haarberg at quarterback in the red zone with Raiola split out wide. NU's offense has been efficient enough to be able to send a message (but don't tempt fate with Raiola wide too often).

Over the last 13 years, NU fans have seen Lavonte David and Randy Gregory. They've watched the playmaking of Ameer Abdullah and Kenny Bell. There have been quarterbacks who could run.

But this team has the defense, the offensive line, the big back and receivers and the superstar quarterback.

And, perhaps, something else.

In three games, NU has lost just two turnovers -- a fumble in the opener and an interception on Saturday night on a 50-50 ball that the UNI defensive back wrestled away.

The defense has four interceptions and recovered one fumble. And there have been nine sacks.

Penalties? There have been 16 in three games. But nine yellow flags against NU came in the fourth quarter against CU. That looked like the exception. Against UTEP and UNI, Nebraska had seven penalties.

There's still plenty of work to be done.

Nebraska has started fast, scoring 30, 28 and 21 points in each first half. But the last two games, the Huskers have stalled in the second half. Offensively, a killer instinct must be found.

It's a growth thing and there's plenty of room for a team with so much potential.

Optimism and confidence abound.

But Big Ten teams are used to pushing Nebraska around. They're used to a Nebraska team that will trip over itself and find a way to lose a close game.

This Nebraska team looks different. Much different.

It looks and plays, well, like a Big Ten team.

So far.

Of course, the four west coast teams might change that definition. But one thing about this league: physicality, maturity and ball security will always be sacred.

Rhule's second team seems to understand that.

Is this a team Nebraska fans can trust? Check back again next week. It's a team that might make an analyst named Herbie look smart.

Photos: Nebraska football hosts Northern Iowa