Stoops not eager to see NU as powerhouse

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Bob Stoops is great friends with Nebraska coach Bo Pelini and even let Pelini’s brother stay at his house for an extended period while they worked together at Kansas State.

He grew up admiring from afar the rivalry the Cornhuskers had with Oklahoma, where he’d eventually be hired as the head coach.

But would he like to see the Huskers re-establish themselves as the marquee team in the Big 12 North?

“I’d rather they didn’t,” Stoops said with a chuckle Tuesday.

The Battle of the Big Reds has been a bit unbalanced lately and Stoops likes it that way. While Nebraska has been rebuilding, Stoops has been able to win four straight games in the series and keep the No. 20 Sooners (5-3, 3-1 Big 12) among the nation’s top teams headed into Saturday night’s game with the Huskers.

Instead of the rivalry determining the conference champion �” as it did 31 times in 36 years in the Big Eight �” and even a national championship, the game has had less panache in recent years. There was the series’ second “Game of the Century” in 2000 and the teams met for the Big 12 title in 2006, but it’s been nothing like the days of Barry Switzer vs. Tom Osborne in the 1970s and ’80s.

For complete details, subscribe to our online edition at www.ee.columbustelegram.com or call 563-7547 for home delivery.