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Nebraska was the Big 12's flagship program when the league formed in 1996, a claim it backed up by winning two conference championship games in the first four years and participating in another.
The last decade has been considerably less memorable.
The 13th-ranked Cornhuskers haven't won a Big 12 title since 1999, a drought they'll get one last chance to end Saturday night against No. 10 Oklahoma at Cowboys Stadium in their final conference game before heading to the Big Ten.
Nebraska (10-2, 6-2) won or shared the final five Big Eight titles before the Big 12 was formed, also winning national championships in 1994 and 1995.
The Cornhuskers played in three of the first four Big 12 championship games, but they've only participated in two since 2000. Both were losses - 21-7 against Oklahoma (10-2, 6-2) in 2006, and a 13-12 heartbreaker last season as Texas kicked a game-ending field goal after one second was put back on the clock.
"(The Texas loss) is still in the back of our minds. I'm not going to lie," tailback Rex Burkhead said after accounting for three touchdowns in a 45-17 win over Colorado on Nov. 26.
That victory clinched a spot for the Cornhuskers in Arlington, giving Nebraska an opportunity to exit the conference the way it came in - on top.
No one was on hand to present Bo Pelini the North Division trophy Nebraska won by beating Colorado, which came a week after the third-year coach's tirade about officiating following a 9-6 loss at Texas A&M. The conference said appearing in Lincoln presented safety concerns after commissioner Dan Beebe received nasty and threatening e-mails from fans.
That no-show is fine with Pelini, who's focused on a more significant trophy this week.
"We're only halfway there," Pelini said. "It was fun to win the Big 12 North, but we still have got some unfinished business. That wasn't our main goal, but it's a goal we had to reach. It's part of the process."
While the Cornhuskers won the head-to-head tiebreaker with Missouri to claim the North, the Sooners took a more complicated route to the championship game - their seventh in nine years, including wins in all four visits since 2004.
Oklahoma's wild 47-41 victory over rival Oklahoma State last Saturday created a three-way tie atop the South Division along with the Cowboys and Texas A&M, but the Sooners got the nod because they were the highest ranked BCS team of the bunch.
"How exciting to be able to pair up against Nebraska," said coach Bob Stoops, who grew up playing football in Youngstown, Ohio, with Vince Pelini - Bo's younger brother. "The tradition there and the history between Nebraska and Oklahoma and with them departing from us, to have one more go at it is really pretty exciting and special."
The Sooners lead a series that began before World War I 44-38-3, though this is the last scheduled meeting between the former Big Eight rivals.
Nebraska won last season's game 10-3 in Lincoln, luring Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones into a day he won't soon forget. Jones threw five interceptions - more than a third of his season total - to allow the Cornhuskers to escape despite gaining 180 yards and going 1 for 14 on third downs.
Jones has been practically unstoppable lately, though. He's thrown for 1,853 yards in his last five games - the nation's best total since Oct. 30 - and 17 touchdowns.
He threw three first-half interceptions at Oklahoma State to go along with two touchdowns but came back strong after the intermission. Jones threw TDs of 86 and 76 yards 29 seconds apart in the fourth quarter and matched a school record with 468 passing yards.
"You watch some of the great quarterbacks - the Joe Montanas and those guys - they'll have bad days and then they'll have a fourth quarter that wins the game and that's all anybody talks about. ... The important thing is to stay after it," Stoops said. "You're still going to have opportunities to make your plays. And maybe, he's getting that."
Another tough day against the Cornhuskers isn't out of the question for Jones, however. Nebraska had the nation's No. 1 pass efficiency defense last season - allowing 5.11 yards per attempt - and it's second this season, yielding 5.26 per throw behind shutdown cornerbacks Prince Amukamara and Alfonzo Dennard.
Jones would benefit greatly if running back DeMarco Murray is healthy enough to play. The senior hurt his knee against the Cowboys, and while Stoops says he's cautiously optimistic that Murray will be ready Saturday, it's hardly a given.
Nebraska, meanwhile, has its own issues in the backfield. Quarterback Taylor Martinez is day-to-day with an ankle injury that kept him out against Colorado, and even if he's deemed healthy enough to face Oklahoma, sophomore Cody Green could see some action.
"We'll play the guy we feel is going to give us the best chance to win the game," Pelini said, "and it might be a combination of the two."
The South has won the last six Big 12 title games to gain a 10-4 edge.
