College Football Preview – Oklahoma Sooners vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Old Big 12 rivals will meet in the first big game this Saturday when the Oklahoma Sooners host the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Oklahoma is a heavy favorite against Nebraska in the first meeting between these former archrivals in over a decade, and the Sooners will look to live up to their ranking after needing to hold on to beat Tulane in their season opener.

FOX’s Big Noon Saturday will head to Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma to see the Nebraska Cornhuskers face the Oklahoma Sooners at 12 p.m. ET.

College Football Betting Odds

Nebraska +22

Oklahoma -22

Total 62

Nebraska has looked better over the last two weeks after a disappointing loss to Illinois in its season opener. The Blackshirts rose to the occasion against Fordham and Buffalo, allowing a combined 10 points in wins over those teams. That defense will be put to the test this week against Oklahoma though.

The Sooners have the best offense in the country per SP+. They scored 37 first half points against Tulane before turnovers and missed opportunities nearly led to them being upset by the Green Wave, but they left no doubt in their 76-0 win over FCS Western Carolina last week.

When Oklahoma Has the Ball

Spencer Rattler is the most talented quarterback in the country, and he might be the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Rattler has completed 76.9% of his passes for 547 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions this season. He is still a little too turnover prone, but he can light up any secondary with talented receivers like Marvin Mims and Jadon Haselwood.

Kennedy Brooks and Eric Gray have kept the chains moving on the ground. Brooks and Gray have combined to run for 236 yards and two touchdowns through two games, and both backs are averaging at least 5.6 YPC. They keep defenses honest, as any opposing team that drops too many players in coverage will see Brooks and Gray at the second level.

Nebraska’s defense has looked much better in recent weeks, but Illinois backup quarterback Artur Sitkowski had a good amount of success through the air against the Huskers. The Fighting Illini were able to find open receivers against this secondary, so the Sooners could have a field day on Saturday.

When Nebraska Has the Ball

It feels like Adrian Martinez has been the starting quarterback at Nebraska for nearly a decade, but he is only a junior entering his fourth year as the Cornhuskers’ starting quarterback. Unfortunately for Nebraska, he has failed to improve off of a promising freshman season, throwing just one more touchdown than interception in 2019 and 2020. Martinez was great against Fordham and Buffalo, but he looked like the same old quarterback against Illinois.

The ground game has churned out 709 yards and is averaging 4.9 YPC, but that is largely due to the dual-threat ability of Martinez. The top three running backs are averaging 4.0 YPC, and this offense might be in big trouble if Martinez can’t run on Oklahoma.

Alex Grinch has done a good job turning around the Sooners’ defense during his time in Norman, but there are concerns on this side of the ball heading into this game. Three defensive backs could miss the Nebraska game due to injury, potentially leading to more success than you would expect from Nebraska’s passing game.

Prediction

The Sooners are going to rout the Cornhuskers this Saturday. This is a game that Oklahoma has wanted for years, and the fans and boosters want Lincoln Riley to put it on an old rival. Riley has not been shy about running up the score, and we could see Oklahoma score 50 here.

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