THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY DECEMBER 1, 2006
SPORTS
5B
BIG 12 CONFERENCE
Dave Weaver/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor will get a chance to play in a big Oklahoma vs. Nebraska game like the ones he grew up watching. Oklahoma and Nebraska will be playing at the Big 12 title game in Kansas City, Mo., on Saturday for a championship again — the first time in 18 years.
'Game of the Century' rerun
Classic Oklahoma vs. Nebraska rivalry to return to Kansas City
BY JEFF LATZKE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NORMAN, Okla. — With Barry Switzer on one side and Tom Osborne on the other, no rivalry was bigger than Oklahoma vs. Nebraska.
When the Sooners and Cornhuskers collided, the impact could be felt throughout all of college football. Between 1971 and 1988, the teams met 17 times when both were in the top 11, including 15 times with both in the top 10. Their 1971 meeting as No. 1 vs. No. 2 went down as "The Game of the Century."
Former Sooners quarterback Cale Gundy, now an assistant coach with Oklahoma, remembers watching some of those classic match-ups. The suspense was unbearable.
"Id run outside because I don't want to see the play on TV. I'd come back inside and figure it out or my mom sticks her head out and tells me what happened," Gundy said.
The rivalry has lost its luster in recent years, but on Saturday at the Big 12 title game in Kansas City, Mo., Oklahoma and Nebraska will be playing for a championship again — for the first time in 18 years.
"It's a big-time game regardless of who we're playing." Nebraska linebacker Stewart Bradley said. "But when you put Oklahoma and Nebraska in the game with all the tradition, it makes it that much bigger."
Chuck Fairbanks was coaching Oklahoma and Bob Devaney was at Nebraska in 1971, when Johnny Rodgers led the top-ranked Cornhusk to a 35-31 victory over the second-ranked Sooners.
In 1972, Osborne took over for Devaney and a year later Switzer replaced Fairbanks. For the next 15 years, the Big Eight was the Big Two with the Sooners and Cornhuskers fighting for supremacy.
"It wasn't just a game, it was the good guys against the bad guys. Good against evil. Tom Osborne against
Barry Switzer," said Bill Barnett, a defensive tackle on Nebraska's 1978 team that upset top-ranked Oklahoma 17-14. "In our eyes, Tom was the good guy and Barry was the bad guy, but Barry always figured out a way to get the best of us."
Switzer won his first six against the 'Huskers, leading up to that 1978 game.
"The games usually went right down to the final minutes, but 'Sooner Magic' was out there waiting to show its ugly face," Barnett said. "So when we finally beat them in 1978 it was like toppling an empire."
Nebraska or Oklahoma won the Big Eight title outright or had a piece of it every year from 1962 to 1988.
Rodgers ('72) and Mike Rozier ('83) won Heisman trophies for Nebraska during the Golden Age
of the rivalry. Billy Sims won it for Oklahoma in 1978. It was power football at its best in those days, with quarterbacks such as Nebraska's Turner Gill and Oklahoma's Jamelle Holieway who were more dangerous with their legs than with their arms.
But after Switzer resigned in 1988, the rivalry began to fade as the Sooners fell on hard times.
Then the Big Eight merged with some of the schools from the defunct Southwest Conference and started playing in 1996 as the Big 12. Nebraska ended up in the North Division and Oklahoma went to the South. The layout meant Sooners and "Huskers were no longer playing every season.
"We had an honorable rivalry," Rodgers said. "I root for NU and I root for OU, too."
>> BIG 12 CONFERENCE
North closes gap on South Texas offensive lineman, Kansas running back take spotlight
BY JAIME ARON
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS — Parity has hit the Big 12, at least when it comes to the distribution of talent. Just look at The Associated Press all-conference team.
Eleven schools have first-teamers Texas A&M is the only exception — and the No. 22 Aggies have more second-teamers than anyone else.
The split between the division is close, too — the South rose again, but its lead was only 14-12. That's a big leap for the North after having only eight top picks each of the last three years.
Texas led the way with six first-teamers, matching the combined total of No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 19 Nebraska. And even though the No. 17 Longhorns beat the Cornhuskers and Sooners, the old Big Eight rivals are the ones who'll meet for the conference championship Saturday, yet another fitting example of the theme to this year's AP team.
A panel of 20 sportswriters who regularly cover the league for newspapers throughout the conference's seven states were split on so many positions that there were only two unanimous picks: Texas offensive lineman Justin Blalock and Kansas running back Jon Cornish.
Cornish was joined at running back by Nebraska's Brandon Jackson, who narrowly edged out Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma. It's interesting that Peterson came so close considering a broken collarbone forced him to miss half the season — long enough for his replacement, Allen Patrick, to get honorable mention on the all-conference squad.
In addition to Jackson, other Nebraska players picked as the best at their position were quarterback Zac Taylor, who also was voted the offensive player of the year, and defensive lineman Adam Carriker.
The Sooners were represented by linebacker Rufus Alexander, the defensive player of the year; defensive back Reggie Smith; and offensive lineman Chris Messner. Bob Stoops was a unanimous pick for coach of the year.
Other Longhorns joining Blalock
on the top squad were fellow linemen Lyle Sendlein, at center, and Kasey Studdard; a trio of defensive players: lineman Tim Crowder and defensive backs Aaron Ross and Michael Griffin.
Both specialists were honored for the third straight year — Colorado kicker Mason Crosby and Baylor punter Daniel Sepulveda. Since they are seniors, there will be new blood in both slots next year.
The offensive machine at Texas Tech produced two more first-teamers in receiver Joel Filani and all-purpose pick Shannon Woods. Oklahoma State's Adarius Bowman was the other receiver and Cowboys teammate Corey Hilliard was picked at offensive line.
Missouri was represented by tight end Chase Coffman and linebacker Marcus Bacon. Defensive lineman Ian Campbell and linebacker Brandon Archer made it from Kansas State
Colorado defensive lineman Abraham Wright, Iowa State linebacker Alvin Bowen and Kansas defensive back Aqib Talib round out the 26-man first team.