Nebraska vs Newbraska

Breaking down the dynamics surrounding Oklahoma and Nebraska's big Saturday matchup.

There’s no nickname I’m aware of for the Oklahoma-Nebraska rivalry. It’s a pretty good one, they played in the Big 8 and Big 12 conferences together for a long time. They also traded off the mantle of the top program in the conference.

The Sooners were the top dog in the 70s and 80s, although Nebraska had their years including a brief stretch in the mid-80s before Switzer’s Wishbone bounceback with Jamelle Holieway. Then Switzer was ousted and Tom Osborne’s dominant 90s run took shape.

Osborne handed off to Frank Solich in 1998 and Bob Stoops took over in Norman in 1999 and the Sooners regained the top slot. In the Big 12 era, Oklahoma was 6-2 against the Cornhuskers. Since Nebraska left, they’ve played one time, last year. The Sooners won 23-16 in the sort of game that characterized the entire mishap season for Scott Frost’s Nebraska.

Close but no cigar.

Heading into this year’s contest, there is an awful lot of turnover and intrigue around both programs. I’m not sure if the stakes of this game are particularly high, but that’s what can make a rivalry game really special. These teams will be playing for pure pride and a desire to beat “those guys.” The Nebraska players may show the “they fired our coach!” urgency which is often typical of such situations while Oklahoma would really prefer to win the first nominally big game of Brent Venables’ new regime.

Let’s talk through a few of the dynamics.