Nebraska vs. Oklahoma Odds

Written by Jack Jones

Long-time rivals in the Oklahoma Sooners and Nebraska Cornhuskers meet up Saturday night in the Big 12 Championship. Since the Big 12 was formed back in 1996, the South division has won 10 of 14 conference titles including six in a row. The Cornhuskers will get one last chance to bring it back to the North before they depart for the Big Ten next season. College football lines show us odds of Oklahoma -3.5 over Nebraska with a total set of 54.5 points.

The No. 13 Cornhuskers (10-2, 6-2) were the cream of the crop back in 1996 when the Big Eight went to the Big 12. They had won five straight conference titles in the Big Eight, including back-to-back national championships in 1994 and 1995. They also went to the Big 12 title game in three of their first four seasons, winning two conference championships. But they have not won a Big 12 title since 1999. Nebraska has had a few chances in the title game, but lost 21-7 to Oklahoma in 2006 and suffered a heartbreaking 13-12 defeat at the hands of Texas last season.

No. 10 Oklahoma (10-2, 6-2) beat Oklahoma State last week 47-41 which created a three-way tie atop the South Division. The Sooners won the tiebreaker thanks to having the highest BCS ranking, which was partly due to having a tougher schedule than Texas A&M or Oklahoma State. Nebraska was also in a tie atop the North, but they got the nod over the Missouri Tigers thanks to their head-to-head victory.

Nebraska hopes to go out the way they came into the Big 12, which is on top. Their 45-17 win over Colorado on November 26 gives them a shot at redemption following last year’s painful loss to the Longhorns in the title game. Running back Rex Burkhead accounted for three touchdowns in the win, including a pair of surprising scoring passes. But nobody was there to present the Cornhuskers with the North trophy, as commissioner Dan Beebe received threatening e-mails from fans leading up to the game. This came a week after head coach Bo Pelini’s tirade about poor officiating in their 9-6 loss to Texas A&M.

The Sooners have appeared in seven of the last nine conference championship games, and they’ve won all four visits since 2004. This game will be played in Cowboy Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys. Oklahoma leads the all-time series with Nebraska with a 44-38-3 edge. But few teams have dominated the Sooners like Nebraska did last season. The Cornhuskers won a 10-3 defensive battle while forcing current Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones into five interceptions. That defensive effort single-handedly won the game as Nebraska’s offense mounted just 180 total yards and went 1-of-14 on third downs.

Jones is perhaps the hottest quarterback in the country right now. He has thrown for 1,853 yards and 17 touchdowns in his last five games, and he matched a school record with 468 passing yards while tossing four touchdown passes last week against the Cowboys. But he could have his hands full with this Nebraska defense again. The Cornhuskers led the nation in pass efficiency defense last year, allowing 5.11 yards per attempt. This year they are right there again, sitting in second in the country in pass efficiency defense at 5.26 yards per attempt.

There are a few injury concerns coming into this game. Oklahoma running back DeMarco Murray, who has rushed for 1,053 yards and 14 touchdowns, suffered a knee injury against Oklahoma State. Head coach Bob Stoops is optimistic he will be able to go, but it remains uncertain. Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez is day-to-day with a lingering ankle injury. He missed the Colorado game, and if he cannot go then Cody Green will likely get the nod once again. Martinez is a huge weapon for this otherwise lackluster Nebraska offense, throwing for 1,435 yards and 9 touchdowns while also rushing for 974 yards and 12 scores despite missing a few games this season.

BetUS Projected Score: Oklahoma 29 – Nebraska 25

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