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OU will wear Crown
Published: 11/26/2006 4:21 PM
Last Modified: 11/26/2006 4:21 PM


Time out to think about how easy we've had it.
AP


Oklahoma's road to the Big 12 Conference Championship Game was far more difficult than what Nebraska cleared to get to Saturday's game in Kansas City.
The Cornhuskers had to beat the likes of Colorado and Iowa State. It got by Kansas and Missouri at home.
That is virtually nothing compared to what OU endured to get to Arrowhead Stadium.
For starters, the Sooners needed a lot of help and got it when Texas lost its last two games of the season - at Kansas State and then the shocking home loss to Texas A&M.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma was doing the nearly unthinkable. Without its best player, Adrian Peterson, the Sooners won four of its last five games on the road.
That included on the road at Missouri, Texas A&M, Baylor and Oklahoma State.
Nebraska did win at Texas A&M but one has to wonder how the Huskers would have done if faced with the same stretch.
We don't think very well.
The Huskers would have been hard-pressed to get into the upper division of the Big 12 South. There were far too many hurdles for the Huskers to realistically believe they would have survived to win the division.
One wouldn't think Nebraska is capable of an upset. It has an average offense and so-so defense.
Still, strange things have happened in the Big 12 Championship Game in the past. A powerful Nebraska team, apparently headed to the national championship game, was beaten by
Texas. Texas A&M upset heavily-favored Kansas State.
And, who can forget Kansas State's huge victory over an Oklahoma team that some said was unbeatable.
So, OU is certainly far from unbeatable. But the Sooners appear to have more than enough to take care of Nebraska.



Reader Comments 4 Total
Jeremy (6 years ago)
OU certainly has the edge both offensively and defensively. I'd also give the Sooners the checkmark on defense. Of course, turnovers are the great equalizer. If the Sooners play as clean a game as they did in Stillwater, NU has little chance. The Huskers certainly have a good football team, though, and will beat OU if the Sooners don't play well.

I'll take OU 31-21.

Jeremy (6 years ago)
Oops! I meant to say I'd also give the Sooners the checkmark in coaching.
steve nelson (6 years ago)
In defense of BIG RED: they are a team on the rise...they're still trying to figure out how to put teams away when they have big leads. Maybe that's a question for Cosgrove (Def. Coord.). But don't underestimate this team. Enjoy the game and good luck in the Cotton Bowl.
john juilfs (6 years ago)
look at the conference schedules. ou and nu played the same conference opponents except ou played texas tech and baylor while nu played k state and ku. i dont think that is " a far more difficult" schedule. and i disagree that nebraskas schedule was "virtually nothing" look at page b7 in todays tulsa world. ou is the better defense. nu has the better offense. defense usually wins championships. ou should be favored to win. should be a close game
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Klein's Korner

Tulsa World senior sports columnist John Klein is in his fourth decade of covering sports. He started his newspaper career at The Daily Ardmoreite in 1977 and moved to the Tulsa World in 1978. He served 10 years as sports editor for the Tulsa World before being named to his current position in 2005. He also spent five years as the Southwest Conference beat writer for the Houston Post. He has won many writing awards and is a former Oklahoma Sports Writer of the Year.

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