Huskers @ Sooners

Ahhh, the day has finally arrived. The air is crisp, the leaves are a beautiful mixture of red, gold, yellow, and brown. Another Halloween is in the books and talk of Thanksgiving Day plans as begun to emerge. All of this can only mean the time has come for the Huskers to take on the Sooners of Oklahoma!

True, the once-annual battle between the Huskers and Sooners has lost some of it's luster over the past several years. Really the slide began when former Sooner skipper Barry Switzer left Oklahoma in the late 80's. OU was hit with some penalties from the NCAA, which limited their recruiting, and the program fell from national prominence. This opened the door for NU to gain the winning edge most of the time throughout the 90's. Then, the expansion of the Big Eight Conference to the Big Twelve Conference meant that Nebraska and Oklahoma would only meet every two years (two years back-to-back, then two years off back-to-back). And, of course, Nebraska's fall from national prominence in recent years has meant that if and when the two schools meet, Oklahoma is usually the hands-down favorite to win.

Still, for those of us who have followed the Cornhuskers for decades, the NU-OU battle remains huge. It's a classic rivalry that will never truly die, even if it's faded a bit over the years. The Huskers travel to Norman, OK to take on the fourth-ranked Sooners, and I have a good feeling it will be a great game. The Sooners are a bit suspect on defense, but their offense is something to behold. They have lost one game this year, so they are beatable. Trouble is, the team that beat them was Texas, and Texas is the top-ranked team in the nation. I don't look for an upset today, as I just don't think the Huskers have the horses to go toe-to-toe with OU for four quarters. I'm looking for something along the lines of a 45-28 final in favor of the Sooners.

But then, there's a tiny little nugget of a factor in this old rivalry. During the heydays of this classic battle, it didn't seem to much matter which team was ranked where or how good either team was supposed to be, for it was Nebraska vs. Oklahoma, and all the ratings and hype went out the window at the sound of the first whistle. Will that happen today? Can the Huskers overcome that strange old Sooner Magic? Will the Sooners even need their Magic to win? Anyone even recall Sooner Magic? I'm getting goosebumps - it's Nebraska vs. Oklahoma, it's classic football, it's time!

GO BIG RED!!!