LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -How No. 15 Nebraska fares in crossover games against the Big 12 South won't necessarily decide where the Cornhuskers end up.

But games like the one Saturday against Texas Tech can give them an idea of where they stack up in the league's power structure.

``If you want to be a dominant force in the Big 12 like Nebraska was early on in the conference's history,'' Nebraska center Jacob Hickman said, ``you've got to beat the South teams.''

Only one of the past five North Division champs - Missouri in 2007 - won more than one of its three games against its southern brethren. Colorado, in fact, won the North in 2004 and '05 despite going winless against the South both years.

Nebraska (4-1, 1-0 Big 12), this year's North favorite, enters the Texas Tech game with losses in 14 of its past 21 regular-season meetings with South opponents. Six of the seven wins over that span came against Baylor or Texas A&M; the other one was against Texas Tech.

When the Big 12 began in 1996, Nebraska was at the height of its national prominence, and it won 14 of its first 18 crossover games.

The Huskers' resurgence under second-year coach Bo Pelini has been fueled mostly by lightweight nonconference competition and five straight wins over North opponents, including a 27-12 come-from-behind victory at Missouri last week that vaulted the Huskers to their highest AP ranking since September 2007.

Texas Tech (4-2, 1-1) has won three straight against the Huskers, the last two decided in the final minute or overtime, and is 14-7 against the North since 2002.

But the Red Raiders have lost three straight true road games since winning at Kansas last October.

``The Big 12 is a tough road conference,'' Tech coach Mike Leach said. ``Any time you get stadiums loud enough, that impede communication as much as the Big 12 stadiums, that's one of the biggies.''

Leach said he would decide shortly before game time whether to give junior quarterback Steven Sheffield his second start, and first on the road.

Sheffield took over after Taylor Potts sustained a concussion Oct. 3 and is the latest in a long line of Tech quarterbacks to produce eye-popping numbers. In last week's 66-14 rout of Kansas State, Sheffield set a school record in the first half by passing for 370 yards and five TDs, and he finished with 490 yards and seven TDs through the air.

``He's got really good leadership qualities,'' Leach said. ``I don't know the best way to describe it, but the others draw from him well. Not just the offensive players but the special-teams players, the defensive players. As he gets excited and passionate about what he's doing, so do they.''

Tech linebacker Bront Bird said he thinks Sheffield should keep slinging.

``You just have to go with the hot hand,'' Bird said. ``I don't think Sheffield has done anything to lose the job he has been given right now.''

It doesn't matter to Pelini whether Potts or Sheffield starts.

``They're not going to change what they do,'' Pelini said. ``Coach Leach is not going to change. He's going to run their system. It looked the same to me.''

Nebraska's quarterback situation also merits watching.

Zac Lee struggled through three quarters in a downpour at Missouri before throwing three touchdowns in four minutes early in the fourth. Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson acknowledged he came close to sending in backup Cody Green before the comeback.

Lee completed only a combined 25 of 63 passes (40 percent) in big games against Virginia Tech (16-15 loss) and Missouri after shredding Florida Atlantic, Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette.

Watson and Pelini gave Lee votes of confidence this week. Lee said he knows he must be sharper.

``It's great that they have our backs, but we have their backs,'' Lee said. ``No matter what's called, we've got to make it work. The Missouri defense did a good job on a rainy day playing in the elements. We still could have dealt with it a little better.''