College Football: Top 15 rivalry games we’d like to see return in 2020

1. Nebraska vs. Oklahoma

Games played: 86
Series record: Oklahoma leads 45-38-3
Last played: 2010
Next meeting: 2021

The top rivalry game that we would like to see back on an annual basis is the classic Big 8 rivalry between college football’s sixth and seventh leading programs in all-time wins, Oklahoma and Nebraska.

The two Midwest powers have played each other since 1912 and played consecutively from 1928-1997, but the rivalry took a hit when both programs moved from the Big 8 to the new Big 12 in the mid-1990s. After Oklahoma was aligned in the Big-12 South with Texas, the annual rivalry took its first break after the 1997 game and the series would permanently end 13 years later after further conference reshuffling.

The series started off one-sided with Nebraska holding a 16-3-3 record over Oklahoma from the initial game in 1912-1942. The series took its first of many turns in 1943 when Oklahoma started a 16-game winning streak over the Cornhuskers taking over the series lead with significantly lopsided results. Oklahoma rose to national relevance during that stretch which ran through 1958, claiming three national titles along the way.

The series became intense during the 1960s with Oklahoma taking a 6-4 lead in the decade, setting the stage for the 1970s. Nebraska went on a three-game run over Oklahoma from 1969-1971 which was their longest win-streak over the Sooners in 26 years.

The Cornhuskers also claimed their first two national titles in 1970 and 1971. The 1971 matchup between No. 1 Nebraska and No. 2 Oklahoma was deemed the “Game of the Century” with Nebraska’s top ranked defense facing off against Oklahoma’s top-ranked offense in Norman.

With each program at the top of college football and the rivalry played over Thanksgiving, the 1970s series between the Cornhuskers and Sooners became a de facto Big 8 championship game with both programs ranking in the top ten the majority of years with national title hopes on the line.

In addition to Nebraska’s two titles in the early 1970s, Oklahoma would go on to win back to back titles in 1974 and 1975. After falling to an unranked Kansas two weeks earlier, No. 7 Oklahoma’s 35-10 win over No. 2 Nebraska catapulted the Sooners into the Orange Bowl where their win over Michigan and No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Texas A&M’s losses made the Sooners the census champions.

The 1978-79 season was unique as the two powers met in the Orange Bowl, following Nebraska’s upset over No.1 Oklahoma earlier in the season. After No. 2 Nebraska was knocked off by an unranked Missouri the following week, the Cornhuskers missed out on a national championship appearance and instead earned the Orange Bowl nod as the Big 8 champion.

With independent Penn State in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama for a shot at the national title and Notre Dame accepting a Cotton Bowl invite, the Orange Bowl committee selected Oklahoma in an attempt for the best possible matchup. Barry Switzer’s Sooners would make up for their only loss earlier in the season and defeat Tom Osborne’s Cornhuskers, 31-24.

The intensity would remain in the 1980s with Nebraska and Oklahoma splitting the series 5-5 and each claiming five Big 8 titles. Oklahoma would go on to claim the 1985 title while Nebraska played in two national title games but lost to Clemson in 1981 and Miami in 1983. The 1990s would mark the first significant ending to the rivalry as it was known and not due to Nebraska’s dominance in the decade.

The Cornhuskers took the 1990s against Oklahoma going 7-1 in the series and would claim their three final titles in 1994, 1995 and 1997. The Cornhuskers would also cap off the decade with a 73-21 win in Norman in 1996 and followed up with a 69-7 win the following year.

With the Big 8’s merge with the Southwest Conference, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State found themselves in the Big 12 South with the Texas schools while Nebraska was left from their fiercest enemy in the Big 12 North with the remaining Big Eight schools.

The two programs would go on to play just twice every four years after the creation of the Big 12 conference and only met twice in the Big 12 Championship Game. Nebraska would not go on to claim another title after their 1997 championship while Oklahoma would claim their last title in 2000.

The final chapter between the two ended following the 2010 Big 12 championship game after the two missed out on a regular season showdown in Nebraska’s last year in the conference.

In what was Nebraska’s last game in the conference prior to a move to the Big Ten and the conference’s last championship game until its return in 2017 after a NCAA rule change, the Sooners spoiled Nebraska’s going away party, leaving a final reminder over the greatness of the rivalry. After jumping to an early 17-0 lead in the second quarter, the Sooners would shut down Nebraska in the second, going on to win 23-20.

Nebraska and Oklahoma will once again renew their rivalry in 2021 which marks the start of two upcoming home-and-home series in 2021-22 and 2029-30. While the series will resume and will hopefully resume beyond the future dates, the game will never be the same after the move from the Big 8 to the Big 12. The two rank near the top in all-time wins and titles, lead all other programs in conference championships (Oklahoma’s 49 to Nebraska’s 46), and own one of college football’s greatest, if not the once fiercest rivalry of all-time.

While we may not appreciate our rivals while the games are played, we come to realize the greatness in each series after each fall passes.