20 Dec 10 Big 12 Championship: Oklahoma and Nebraska Prepare To Dance To the Swan Song

Is this the last Big Red Rivalry?Brian Bahr/Getty ImagesOklahoma and Nebraska square off in the last Big 12 Championship contest on Saturday for the final Big Red Rivalry game scheduled to be played. With the birth of the Big 12 in 1996, this storied game has taken a back seat to other rivalry games across the country, including the Red River Rivalry, featuring OU vs. Texas. And what a shame. This game was played at or near the end of the season for 70 straight years, from 1928 when they first played in the same conference, till 1997. Between them, the Cornhuskers and Sooners have won 67 out of these 81 league titles. OU holds the slight edge in the all-time series, winning 43 times to 38 for Nebraska. There have been periods of football jerseydominance in the series for each team. Starting with the first game in 1912, Nebraska went 16-3-3 against Oklahoma up until 1942. Oklahoma won 16 straight from 1943-1958. OU went 9-1 against their conference rival from 1972-1980 while NU duplicated this mark from 1988-1997, winning 9 of 10 against the Sooners. They played the Game of the Century in 1971, with the Huskers prevailing 35-31 in Norman on their way to a second consecutive NC. Which rivalry game has decided the most NC's?Which rivalry game has decided the most NC's?OU vs. NU59.4%USC vs. Notre Dame5.1%OSU vs. MU1.5%OU vs. UT5.6%Texas sucks and Mack Brown means 'Giant Turd'28.4%Total votes: 197They played two games in 1978 with NU winning the first game in conference, while OU prevailed in the Orange Bowl rematch a few weeks later. Between them, they have 8 Heisman Trophy winners, 44 inductees into the College Football Hall of Fame, 49 bowl victories, 259 All-Americans, 951 All-Conference selections and 1370 weeks in the AP top-25. This rivalry may have played a major role in determining more national championships than any other game in the country over the span of the last 60 years. Since 1950, the year Oklahoma won its first national championship, OU (7) and NU (5) have combined for 12 NC's. That means once in every five seasons, one of Dallas Cowboys jersey these two teams has been crowned as champion of the college football world. At least nine other times during this span, one of these two schools has lost a season ending bowl game when a victory would have meant yet another championship. OU lost bowl games in 2008, 2004, 2003, 1987, 1984 and 1977 that cost the program a national championship. NU lost in 2001, 1993 and 1983. Now, add in the 11 games the winner of the late-season Big Red Rivalry has prevented the other team from having the opportunity of playing for a another title and.... WOW! That is an astounding 32 times in the last 60 years of football, one of these two elite teams has either won the title, lost a bowl game that would have won it, or has defeated their rival, thereby preventing the other from playing for the NC. Quickly now, name another series that has had as much impact over the last 60 years? And no Longhorn fans, the Red River Rivalry cannot match this. With the formation of the Big 12 in 1996, this rivalry took a back seat as the schools were placed in opposite divisions and the game was only played twice out of every four years. The Red River Rivalry, already a huge annual game pitting OU against UT, rose to be the dominant rivalry in conference. Many younger fans can not remember there was a time when the Oklahoma versus Nebraska game, almost always played the week of Indianapolis Colts jerseyThanksgiving, was the most anticipated late season game of the year. More often than not, the national championship picture was not clear until the winner of this epic battle was determined. The very fact that a rivalry as historic as this game has been over the years is allowed to wither and die on the vine does not reflect kindly on the current landscape of college football. The modern, money driven, power conference, BCS bowl world it has evolved into seems as cold and impersonal as some megalith government agency or multi-national corporation. It is not only Husker and Sooner fans who should mourn this death, but the entire college football world as a whole. All fans should acknowledge and reflect on the fact that as this last page is turned and the book is closed, a large part of the soul that has made the college game what it is today has been laid down in a premature death. With the passing of the Big Red Rivalry into the pages of college football history, the game itself is may be gone, but for true fans of college football, it should never be forgotten.