 "Photo: File Photo")
The Nebraska-Oklahoma rivalry is all but over according to more than just the people involved in it.
What was once one of the most anticipated games of every college football season has become "just another game." What is usually used for average cliché coach speak has become the truth about the Huskers and the Sooners, according to OU coach Bob Stoops.
"There's no question it's changed," Stoops said during the Big 12 Conference teleconference Monday morning. "You think back to the old Big 8 (Conference) days, for so many years it was Oklahoma and Nebraska at the top of the league, and battling at the end of the season. There's no denying it's changed now that you don't play every year, and you're not in the same division."
The series between the two powerhouse programs took a turn for the worse in 1996 when the inception of the Big 12 took effect in athletic play. The Huskers and Sooners had two more consecutive years to play each other before the streak would end.
Nebraska won both of those games by a combined score of 142-28. After NU's 1997 national championship season, the rivalry experienced something new — its first year of not playing each other.
After a 69-7 NU win in '97, the two teams didn't meet again until 2000 when No. 3 Oklahoma stunned top-ranked NU 31-14 in Norman, Okla. After the game it felt like the rivalry never ended, and it proved true the following year when No. 3 Nebraska knocked off No. 2 OU 20-10, which was the last time the Huskers beat the Sooners.
"Always after Thanksgiving, you couldn't wait to watch this game," Stoops said. "The great players that were on the field, two great coaches. You knew it was going to be a great one, and there was so much on the line every time. It was always exciting."
Since 2001, exciting has been a forgotten word when describing the match up. OU has won the last four meetings in impressive fashion, with just one being close — a 31-24 Sooner win in 2005. Last season, Stoops and his team dismantled the Huskers 62-28.
Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said he hasn't forgotten that horrific night in Norman where OU led 35-0 after the first quarter, but also mentioned his team has changed drastically defensively since that outing.
"Forget the first quarter, how about the four quarters?" Pelini said about the '08 loss. "Is it something to prove? No, what are you going to prove? They proved what happened last year. This is a different year."
There has been little talk about last year leading up to Saturday night's primetime showdown. The Sooners and Huskers are both bringing in top-15 nationally ranked defenses in several categories.
Pelini was short when asked about his current players' knowledge of the once dramatic rivalry between the two schools.
"They know about the rivalry," Pelini said. "They understand all that, but we're worrying about 2009 right now."
So is Oklahoma. Both the Sooners and Huskers have lost three games this season, making Saturday night's game "just another game" between the two teams. But the players won't tell you that.
Although a game that pits No. 20 Oklahoma against an unranked Nebraska team in Lincoln may not look appealing on paper, players from each team are far from lacking any motivation.
"It's a big one," OU defensive back Dominique Franks said. "(It's) the battle of the Big Reds. You don't have to say too much after you say Oklahoma versus Nebraska."
"It's always considered a big game, as it has been in the past," NU defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh said. "I consider it a big game going against great talent at OU and a great challenge that we'll see."
Rivalry or not, Saturday night's game has big implications for both teams involved, primarily the Huskers. A win over OU can catapult NU into the driver seat of the Big 12 North Division with three games remaining.
On the other hand, a Sooner win in Lincoln could mark the first chapter of what is looking to be a prominent career for OU's Landry Jones under center. After taking the majority of the snaps this season, the first-year quarterback already has the OU single-game touchdown record of six.
Stoops has been down this road before, and knows facing off with his old friend in Lincoln for the first time will add to his always expanding knowledge of the Nebraska history. Whether the rivalry is gone or not, Stoops said it's impossible to deny the history of playing in Lincoln.
"I have played Nebraska here for a long time, I have always had a great respect for them," Stoops said. "There's a lot of amazing tradition and history. I always wonder if our freshmen, sophomores and guys who haven't been around very long have a true understanding of the tradition and history and pride of that program. I've always felt that playing them is tough."
spencerschubert@dailynebraskan.com