The Nebraska football team opens the 2012 season ranked 17th in the Associated Press poll released Saturday morning.

The Huskers received a total of 485 points from the 60 national writers who vote in the poll following a No. 16 preseason ranking in the USA Today Coaches Poll released earlier in August.

It is the 36th consecutive poll the Huskers have been ranked in dating back to November 29, 2009 and that is the fifth-longest active streak in the nation and the longest among Big Ten schools.

In all, five Big Ten schools are ranked in the top 20 of the preseason poll, including No. 8 Michigan, No. 12 Wisconsin, No. 13 Michigan State and No. 18 Ohio State. The Big Ten was one of three conferences with at least five ranked teams in the preseason poll.

The Huskers will begin the 2012 season in two weeks when they take on Southern Miss at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. and the game will be televised on ABC and ESPN2, depending on what part of the country you live in.