Omaha (1919) and Oklahoma City (1944) have hosted Big Red showdowns, but the sister cities hardly rate as neutral territory or even particularly relevant games.
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Not so with Miami and now Kansas City.
The Sooners and Cornhuskers rematched in a memorable 1979 Orange Bowl, and Saturday night they meet in the Big 12 championship game at Arrowhead Stadium.
This is the more legitimate shootout. The two teams each won a division. Each deserves to be in Kansas City.
Not so in 1979. The Orange Bowl rematch was a slap in the face to Nebraska. The Cornhuskers had lost six straight to OU until their 17-14 upset of the top-ranked Sooners on Nov. 11, 1978. But Nebraska was toppled by Missouri, a defeat that exacted a high price. A rematch with OU.
It wasn't fair. The Huskers deserved to enjoy their long-awaited conquest. Instead, a dubious Orange Bowl ensued. The Huskers were asked to beat a superior team twice in seven weeks. OU coasted to a 31-24 victory.
This Big 12 final is the more equitable game.
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