College Football

Nebraska vs. Oklahoma: One of college football’s most storied rivalries returns

Updated Sep. 19, 2021 1:33 p.m. ET

By Martin Rogers
FOX Sports Columnist

When Oklahoma and Nebraska go at it Saturday, there will be no conference bragging rights at stake, no recent spite to draw upon and, unless something happens to drastically upturn the odds, no significant national championship ramifications.

Yet of all the matchups in the early part of this college football season, few have captured the nostalgic imagination as much as a resumption of a timeless and once-revered rivalry that currently looks lopsided enough that the Sooners are a 22.5-point favorites, according to FOX Bet.

A full 50 years removed from the "Game of the Century," the 1971 epic contest in which No. 1 Nebraska topped No. 2 Oklahoma 35-31, virtually all the talk heading into Saturday’s clash (12 p.m. ET on FOX) has been of the past.

"There's something unique and special about this game," Sooners coach Lincoln Riley told reporters. "A week like this, more than anything, just helps remind you of the history."

In 1996, the rivalry was slowed down somewhat when the teams were allocated to alternate divisions in the Big 12, meaning they would meet twice every four years following 71 straight years of playing annually. After the 2010 season, the historic rivalry was put on pause altogether when Nebraska departed to link up with the Big Ten.

It has become one of college football’s generational quirks, a storied rivalry that mostly lives in the memories now. Despite there being a home-and-home series this year and next, and again in 2029 and 2030, the youngest followers of both teams don’t remember what it was like — the fire and fury, the intensity and the sheer importance — whenever these two got together.

"There is a whole generation of Oklahoma fans that don’t know a Nebraska team that’s good, and that goes for the newest Nebraska fans, too," FOX Sports College Football Writer RJ Young told me. "The two programs seem so far apart now. With Oklahoma-Nebraska, it is different to OU-Texas. That’s more like hate. This is more like siblings.

"The fan bases see themselves in each other. It is two flyover states where the college team is basically the pro team. They enjoyed being the best in the country. They took pride in their rival being one of the best teams. It is different now, and a lot changed for Nebraska when they switched conferences. This weekend will be something, though. Three or four generations of people can come together and celebrate this game."

So much of the chatter is about the 1971 clash, and former players from both sides have descended upon Norman, Oklahoma, to reminisce and take part in various celebratory functions.

It is worth remembering, however, that the most recent game went down to the wire: a 2010 Big 12 Championship showdown at Cowboys Stadium, which the Sooners won 23-20.

Landry Jones, who went on to have a seven-year NFL career, mostly with the Pittsburgh Steelers, was the winning QB that day and can scarcely believe so much time has passed.

"I remember it like yesterday," Jones told me via telephone. "Nebraska was leaving the conference, so we knew it was going to be the last time for a long time.

"There was something special about it. Mostly you just want to win a conference title, but there was a feeling of history and two programs that have shared a lot and meant a lot to each other. It is pretty crazy that it’s now 11 years since the teams played."

Oklahoma will again be aiming for a spot in the College Football Playoff, having made the field four of the past seven years, and its upcoming move to the SEC no later than 2025 has been one of the sport’s hottest talking points.

How the Oklahoma/Texas announcement impacts the Big 12

Bruce Feldman, Bob Stoops and Joel Klatt give their analysis on how Texas and Oklahoma's SEC announcement will impact the Big 12 this season.

Nebraska is in the doldrums, without a winning season or bowl appearance since 2016, having failed to recruit elite classes and unable to find a true rival in the Big Ten. Scott Frost’s arrival as head coach in 2018 was supposed to spark a revival. Instead, things have gone in the opposite direction.

His plight was not helped when it emerged, embarrassingly, that Nebraska tried to back out of the Oklahoma game earlier this year. Anything can happen in college football, but in truth, most Nebraska fans would be somewhat satisfied if their team can keep things close and competitive.

"We got a lot to gain and very little to lose in this game," Frost said this week. "I just want our guys to play stress-free and not worry about anything, and just go attack. We got to run at things as fast as we can and try to get after them and see where we land."

It is an early season game, and there will be others that, for both teams, probably end up counting for more this season. But a chance for reflection of the fondest kind has arrived, a celebration of special times gone by and maybe, who knows, an extra chapter to a famous slice of football history.

Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider Newsletter. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.