No Kansas basketball game on Saturday night. No KU football game either (insert bad joke here).

Unless Kansas sports fans have a hot date lined up, I’m guessing they’ll be tuning in to some, if not all, of the Big 12 football championship between Oklahoma and Nebraska.

(Aside: In the event of said hot date, I highly recommend Jasper’s in Kansas City. Best Italian I’ve had around the K.C. metro, all due respect to 715 and Teller’s, two quality options in Lawrence. And you can catch the OU-NU score on the way out by the TVs in the front.)
On Saturday night, we’ll witness a Big 12 title game filled with high drama.

• It’s Nebraska and Oklahoma. If you’re my age (26), ask your parents for stories on the epic OU-NU rivalry from the old-school days of the Big Eight.

• It’s Bo Pelini. Like or dislike the hot-tempered, gum-chewin’, sideline rantin’ Nebraska coach, he undoubtedly generates interest/ratings. Will he explode in another tirade? Will he chase down officials if the Cornhuskers lose a close game? There’s quite a bit of history with Pelini and Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, who are good friends. Pelini was also the Oklahoma defensive coordinator for a year in 2004.

• Will Nebraska starting quarterback Taylor Martinez play? He reportedly practiced on Wednesday, but wore a boot on his left foot afterward. Maybe it’s just precautionary, but it’s pretty clear Martinez won’t be 100 percent. Pelini is rather deceiving and uninformative when discussing injuries in interviews, so it’s tough to gauge whether Martinez will suit up.

• The Sooners are going for their seventh conference football championship in the Big 12 era. OU has been the most consistent conference football team in the past 15 years, and it’s really not close. The Sooners have represented the South in seven of the past nine Big 12 title games.

Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops, center, celebrates with his team after they defeated Missouri 62-21 in the Big 12 Championship football game Saturday, Dec. 6, 2008, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

• When is the next time we’re going to be able to watch a Big 12 football championship? This is it, for now. Next year, after Nebraska leaves for the Big Ten and Colorado bolts for the Pac-12, there will be no conference title game. NCAA rules require at least 12 teams in a conference to stage a championship game.

With only 10 teams, the Big 12 could look to expand whenever it wants. No news on that front right now, though.

Do you like the conference holding a football championship game, or do you like the idea of no title game?

The obvious perk to holding the championship game is the winner receives an automatic BCS bid. Also, the extra exposure for a week is nice for the conference, which could in turn help recruiting. Think about the Big Ten, which had all but one of its teams play their final regular season game last weekend. Roughly a month will pass without any Big Ten games on television. Gotta wait until bowl season.

There could also be pros to not holding a championship game. It seems to make it easier for a school to play in the BCS Championship. Teams don’t have to worry about slipping up in a conference championship game and hurting the resume. Ohio State, for instance, cruised into the BCS Championship in 2006 and 2007. The Buckeyes were undefeated in Big Ten play in 2006, and even lost a conference game in 2007 before playing in the national title.

I could see both sides, but it’s going to be weird without a title game next season.

• Here’s what I’m most curious about, though: the postgame. If Nebraska wins, how will commissioner Dan Beebe hand the trophy over to the Huskers?

I saw some national columnists jokingly weigh in on postgame plans for each squad. This, from SI.com’s Andy Staples: “Nothing would satisfy the people in red more than watching Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe hand a trophy to coach Bo Pelini and athletic director Tom Osborne on Saturday. Or maybe Pelini and Osborne should just celebrate with the team in the locker room and leave a note on the podium. ‘Dear Dan, Please ship the trophy to the following address: Big Ten Headquarters, 1500 West Higgins Road, Park Ridge, IL 60068. Hugs and kisses, Bo and Tom.'”

What if Oklahoma wins?

From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Jennifer Floyd Engel: “However, whatever, just beat them. Send Nebraska to the Big Ten, or whatever name E. Gordon Gee decides to slap upon that league, with a big fat reminder that their Big 12 legacy was never all that impressive and they will barely be missed at all.”

Yes, whichever team wins, it’s going to be riveting to watch what transpires in the postgame ceremony. My game analysis is in the latest episode of Conference ChatterTV back at the top.

My guess? The Sooners hoist their seventh Big 12 trophy.

Oklahoma 24, Nebraska 21.

As always, discuss.