UPDATE: Nebraska AD commits to playing Oklahoma after all

OU-Nebraska is a go.

Nebraska athletic director Bill Moos, replying to a report that Nebraska wanted to get out of its Sept. 18 game at Oklahoma — and a statement from his counterpart at OU, followed by an afternoon of scorn — has decided it’s in Nebraska’s best interest to play the game.

Statement from Athletic Director, Bill Moos. pic.twitter.com/qeATVY0GBC
— Nebraska Huskers (@Huskers) March 12, 2021

The original report came from Stadium’s Brett McMurphy, who cited an unnamed source that told him Nebraska was “trying to get out of playing” the Sooners in Norman.

Nebraska is trying to get out of playing Oklahoma on Sept. 18, sources told @Stadium. The Cornhuskers have contacted other schools to play in Lincoln on that date, sources said. The game was scheduled to mark 50th anniversary of 1971 "Game of the Century" b/w No. 1 NU & No. 2 OU
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) March 12, 2021

Soon after, OU athletic director Joe Castiglione said the Sooners “fully intend and expect to play the game as it is scheduled,” and OU head coach Lincoln Riley echoed the same sentiments during a press conference following the Sooners’ Pro Day workouts.

In response to inquiries I’ve received this morning...... pic.twitter.com/t7rVYL0NpJ
— Joe Castiglione (@soonerad) March 12, 2021

"I’ll stick with Joe Castiglione’s statement and reiterate that we fully expect and intend on playing that game," Riley said. "Obviously we all know the history behind that game and there’s been a whole lot put into playing it, and we can’t wait to play here it in September."

Moos cited “economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to Husker athletics” for wanting to play an eighth home game in 2021.

Some Nebraska insiders, however, felt that Huskers coach Scott Frost was simply afraid that being blown out by the Sooners this fall would put his job in jeopardy.

OU is a heavy favorite to win its seventh straight Big 12 Conference championship, and is widely projected as a playoff favorite in 2021, while the Huskers haven’t had a winning record since 2016 and haven’t had a 10-win season since 2012 — their second year in the Big Ten after leaving the Big 12 following the 2010 season.

Frost is 12-20 in his three seasons since returning to his alma mater from UCF. Playing a strictly conference schedule last year, Nebraska went 3-5, including a 52-17 loss to Ohio State to go with losses to Northwestern, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota.

“Ultimately,” Moos wrote, “the decision was made to move forward with our game at Oklahoma in 2021.”