It's the biggest game of the season and we asked our experts who would win the showdown between No. 1 Nebraska and No. 3 Oklahoma. Here's what they said:

Mike Gottfried The slight edge in this game goes to Nebraska. The Huskers have played in as many recent big games as anyone. Oklahoma's win at Kansas State was very impressive but Nebraska's players are used to playing in huge games every year. Nebraska also played Texas Tech two weeks ago. The Red Raiders' offensive scheme is similar to Oklahoma. In theory, Nebraska has had two weeks to prepare for the Sooners. Oklahoma's offense is obviously not identical to Texas Tech's and clearly the Sooners execute better, but Nebraska's preparation has been similar. Somebody is going to control the clock in this game. It will either be Nebraska grinding out 12 play drives running the option, or the short passing game of Oklahoma accomplishing the same thing. The quarterback who has the best day will have the edge in controlling the tempo of the game. Josh Heupel has looked great but the veteran leadership of Eric Crouch has been impressive this year. Nebraska also has the edge on special teams -- which will be crucial in this game. The Huskers blocked a punt against Baylor, and Oklahoma almost let Kansas State back into that game when the Wildcats blocked one of their punts. There will be emphasis on special teams by both schools during the preparation for this game. This will be an exciting clash of styles. Nebraska has had their problems in the defensive secondary and Josh Heupel could take advantage of that. But the experience of the Huskers will probably win out this Saturday.

John Mackovic This game will have plenty of fireworks, but turnovers will make the difference. Oklahoma has created the most takeaways in the Big 12 this year with 17, while Nebraska has garnered only six in seven games -- this is a clear advantage for the Sooners. The Nebraska Cornhuskers have had turnover problems only when they were fumbling the ball on their option offense. In seven games the Big Red has lost only one fumble. Do not expect the ball to be on the ground very much this week. While Oklahoma has averaged 1.5 turnovers per game, that number is actually good considering their high-flying passing attack. Nebraska plays man to man coverage most of the time which does not lend itself to many interceptions so they might try to change up with zone coverage and go for some "picks." Expect this game to be high scoring with both teams getting at least 30 points, and the possibility of overtime is likely -- they are that evenly matched. The winner is the one who gets the turnovers and scores points with them.

Bill Curry Bob and Kathy McPherson are good neighbors of ours: cheerful, bright, full of fun. They are well educated, having recently retired from professions as dentist (Bob), and college administrator (Kathy). I thought them to be well balanced in their lifestyle until I noticed the large red flag. It hangs in a highly visible place on their mountain driveway, so that one and all will know where their loyalties lie. They are the only Cornhuskers I know in the North Carolina mountains. I mean real Cornhuskers, the kind that drive northwest each fall for six weeks of "football fix." Of this 2000 edition of Nebraska football, Bob says, "I saw them when they had no idea what they were doing. If they improve as much from now on as they have since September, they will be able to beat the Green Bay Packers by January." He was so concerned with his early look that he is not sure about this Saturday in Norman. Not to worry, Bob. Nebraska is just too tough -- tournament tough, running game tough, and tradition tough. For those reasons this bunch of Cornhuskers will take the measure of a very good Oklahoma team in Norman on Saturday, in the "Game of the Century Revisited." Well, at least the game of the week. Tournament toughness is derived from fighting for one's life in an hostile environment. At Notre Dame this year, the Huskers beat a desperate team on its home turf under adverse circumstances. Now we know what the 2000 team will do when the chips are down, and with no friends in the stands. Running game tough is simple. More often than not, a great running team (Nebraska leads the nation at 379.7 yards per game) will beat a great throwing team (Oklahoma passes for 327.3 yards per game), based on time of possession (Nebraska outpossesses the opponents by 7-plus minutes!), and red zone effectiveness. Also, run-blocking lineman are simply tougher than pass-blocking linemen. Tradition, and by this I mean recent tradition, is a powerful unconscious factor in the minds of players. The last seven meetings of these two teams have all been Nebraska victories. The last score, in 1997, was 69-7, Nebraska. That stuff lingers, no matter what. Bob Stoops has done a masterful job with the Oklahoma program, and eventually he'll have his day against the Huskers. But it won't be this Saturday.

Rod Gilmore There are two reasons why Nebraska will win this game. First, Oklahoma's defense won't be able to control Nebraska's offense. Nebraska has the second ranked scoring offense at 46 points a game (Oklahoma is first at just under 47 points) and the top rushing offense (379 yards a game). Nebraska could play "keep away" from the Oklahoma offense -- because their offensive line is so physical and they make sure Eric Crouch makes plays. They do this by making sure that whomever is assigned to Crouch on the option is blocked. If Oklahoma changes assignments, then Nebraska just changes who blocks that guy. It's almost impossible to stop. Second, Nebraska will put enough pressure on Heupel to force throws a little too soon thereby reducing Heupel's accuracy just enough to cause problems. This will make it tougher for Oklahoma's receivers to break big plays. (Remember how Nebraska handled Florida's Fun 'N Gun offense in the championship game a few years ago?) Also, Nebraska DL Kyle Vanden Bosch will have a great game pressuring Heupel. He'll beat his man one-on-one, which will force Oklahoma to double-team him -- reducing the number of receivers in the pass patterns. Don't get me wrong. This should be a great game with some fantastic performances. However, Nebraska will win, which could set up a great rematch in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Gene Wojciechowski Husker fans haven't been this excited since the new, "Honk If You Love Lard" bumper stickers came out. A previously banged up Eric Crouch is now well rested. The Blackshirts better figure out something against Josh Heupel and Oklahoma's spread offense, or else this one could get interesting. Still, when in doubt, go with Big Red Machine.

Mel Kiper, Jr. When Nebraska travels to Norman this week to face the Sooners, the stakes will be as high as they get. I have great respect for the history and tradition of both programs. Frank Solich and Bob Stoops have both done outstanding jobs of preparing their teams for the challenges they face each week. A year ago, Oklahoma was allowing huge leads against both Notre Dame and Texas to slip away. They learned a lesson the hard way from those disappointing losses, and haven't allowed that to happen this season. Josh Heupel has been on fire, showing the poise, command, and accuracy throwing the football that Danny Wuerffel did at Florida during his Heisman Trophy season. Heupel spreads the wealth, often completing passes to four or five WRs as well as both TEs. In the backfield, RB Quentin Griffin has provided the necessary balance in most games. Defensively, LBs Torrance Marshall and Rocky Calmus set the tone, with big-plays provided in the deep patrol by SS Roy Williams. For Nebraska, Eric Crouch runs the option with the precision of former Husker signal callers Turner Gill and Tommie Frazier. Crouch is a winner, who really provides a spark with his hard-nosed, enthusiastic play. He's certainly one of the top Heisman candidates. Defensively, there are questions about just how smothering this group can be. The talent level on the defensive side for the Huskers is not at the level it has been in past seasons. And while Oklahoma destroyed Texas and rose to the challenge with an impressive road victory against Kansas State, you have to go back to the early part of the season when Nebraska pulled out a hard fought overtime victory against Notre Dame at South Bend to find a victory against a top 25 caliber opponent. Oklahoma appears more battle tested. But that doesn't always spell the difference in a game of this magnitude. Throw out what transpired in the other games. This will be a war. Crouch running the option against OU and Heupel forcing Nebraska to matchup all day in coverage. An over-land attack against an aerial circus. What could be better? This is college football at its best. As for a prediction, I have to stick with what I said back in August. I went on record with Nebraska and Miami playing for the national championship at the Orange Bowl. That scenario is within the realm of possibility; I'm not about to change anything now. Let's call it Nebraska 27, Oklahoma 24.

Bob Stevens As someone who vividly remembers the '71 Game of the Century (which, considering the hype, still might be the greatest game of the Century past), and knows how hard these two fought for so many years, I really believe this edition of OU-Nebraska will be different. In my years covering the battle, nobody from either side said they "hated" the other, unlike the OU-Texas rivalry. These teams always had the utmost respect for each other. Most rivalries are born of geographic ill-will, but this one was born of two teams meeting at the end of the season with everything on the line. Forget anything you've seen since Barry Switzer left Norman. Bob Stoops and Josh Heupel have resurrected an offense that can strike from anywhere. Nebraska, on the other hand, is Nebraska. Number 1 in rushing but with a pass defense ranked only 33rd, despite going against only one passing offense ranked higher than 33rd. Nebraska's seen nothing like Air Heupel -- and that's why I'm picking the Sooners. Oklahoma's rush defense is a pretty solid 19th and made K-State earn most of their yards two weeks ago. Two more reasons to pick OU: they've certainly played the tougher schedule this year, and the road win over K-State was impressive. Here's where my pick is different: this game will be a blowout, one way or the other. If either the Huskers or the Sooners can get ahead early, the snowball will start rolling. Need a score? How bout Oklahoma 42, Nebraska (with a couple meaningless late points) 27.