Once the crown jewel of the old Big Eight rivalries, this game has lost some shine.

Nebraska’s recent struggles are partly to blame. But the real culprit is a Big 12 schedule that rotates North and South opponents, resulting in two-year swings where crossover teams don’t meet.

“I think it’s different,” said Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops. “There is no denying that. Being in separate divisions and having a couple of years off changes it to some degree.”

Still, at least in Norman, there’s been much talk of series history this week, if not this particular matchup. And the coaches, OU’s Stoops and Nebraska’s first-year man Bo Pelini, were boyhood pals growing up in Youngstown, Ohio, lending this first meeting an added story line.

On the field, the Sooner story line is an offense that seemingly speeds up by the week.

In routing Kansas State, OU scored 55 points — in the first half.

“It was like a video game,” said Sooners wide receiver Ryan Broyles, who added a punt return for a score against the Wildcats.

The Sooners lead the Big 12 and rank second nationally in scoring offense at 48.25 points a game. And their no-huddle, hurry-up attack has resulted in 11 touchdown drives of 60 seconds or less.

“We just come out to play every day,” said Broyles. “If the score comes out to 55, 100 or 20 points, whatever it is, we know we’re playing hard.”

That’s the challenge for a Nebraska defense that has played better of late, yet did surrender 30 to Virginia Tech and 52 to Missouri.

And it’s a challenge for the Nebraska offense, which could help with some time-consuming drives. That’s been a plus for the Huskers of late, as they’ve had 241 offensive snaps the past three games, compared to 155 for their opponents.

“You want to try to limit their possessions,” said Pelini. “Obviously, the less shots you give them at you, the better.

“I’ve said that in coaching, the best defenses are when you are sitting on the bench.”

Notes:

Oklahoma holds a 43-37-3 edge overall in the storied series, with Stoops 4-1 against the Huksers.

Nebraska QB Joe Ganz has come on of late, with three straight 300-yard passing games, two of those wins. He’s completed 95-of-127 passes during that stretch — 74.8 percent.

OU quarterback Sam Bradford has thrown for at least three touchdowns in a game six times this season.

Player to Watch (Sooners) — DeMarco Murray, RB

After a slow start, Murray seems to be shaking the rust from offseason knee surgery. He ran for 104 yards and scored four touchdowns at Kansas State, showing some of the speed and moves that made him such a threat as a freshman. With him running well, the OU is nearly unstoppable.

Player to Watch (Cornhuskers) — Marlon Lucky, RB

As critical as Ganz is to the Huskers attack, balance will be critical to Nebraska’s hopes of controlling the clock. Pelini says Lucky has produced his best games in wins the past two weeks — both rushing and in the short-passing game. That must continue if the Huskers to have any shot at an upset.

Oklahoma by 21