The Huskers playing conference games against the likes of Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Iowa and perhaps Notre Dame appears to be the new reality for the Husker football program following a closed session meeting of the University’s Board of Regents Friday afternoon. After the 40 minute closed session, Chancellor Harvey Perlman asked the Regents to approve Nebraska’s application to the Big 10. The Omaha World Herald reported that it was a done deal and said the Big 10 office contacted Dan Beebe at the Big 12 office Friday morning with word that Nebraska was leaving the Big 12. The seismic shift in college conference affiliations continues as Nebraska’s departure would be a big blow to the Big 12, which lost Colorado to the Pac-10 Conference on Thursday. It has been reported that Missouri and Notre Dame are among other schools also looking at a Big 10 affiliation.
The Huskers would begin Big 10 competition with the 2011-2012 school year.
With Nebraska pursuing membership in the Big Ten and Colorado having already jumped to the Pac-10, the future of the Big 12 is in jeopardy. The Pac-10 is also reportedly interested in inviting Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech to form a 16-team league. University of Texas regents will meet next week to decide whether the Longhorns will remain in the Big 12 or switch to another conference.
Meanwhile, Boise State University has accepted an invitation to join the Mountain West Conference in July of 2011. Boise State, currently a Western Athletic Conference member, would become the Mountain West Conference’s 10th member.
With Nebraska departing the Big 10 the likelihood of the mass exodus of the South is near certainty. I hope the remaining Big 12 North schools negotiate a deal with the Big East.
[...] The Omaha World Herald reported that it was a done deal and said the Big 10 office contacted Dan Beebe at the Big 12 office Friday morning with word that Nebraska was leaving the Big 12. The seismic shift in college conference …Read More [...]
Nebraska can’t stand the heat (Texas) so they are getting out of the ktichen. Too bad Ohio State, Michigan, and Iowa will also beat them. I wonder where the Cornhuskers will go next in search of the elusive championship season.
I think it would be great if the Big 2 didn’t give up rights to the name forcing the Big 10 to stay the Big 10 with 12 schools
Sick and tired of the waiting. Wish Texas would just make their desicion public and get this all over with.
Texas seems to be playing their hand close the their chest right now. The remaining Big 12 South schools will go wherever they go (except A&M might join SEC) and poor Baylor is shut out in the cold. For their sakes (and Iowa State in the North) I hope Texas decides to remain a big 12 member
If Texas decides to preserve the Big 12 (10) who will they invite to replace the defectors?
This is interesting. I forgot how much money the remaining schools could make from the penatly fees. The remaining 5 schools could try to broker a football alliance with the Big East but remain the Big 12 in name.
Officials from five Big 12 schools — Kansas, Missouri, Kansas State, Iowa State and Baylor — held a conference call on Saturday, The Kansas City Star reported. The schools agreed they would like to continue as members of the Big 12.
The five potential teams that could be left in the Big 12 if the exodus of five others continues to the Pac-10 would be wise to remain together, a conference commissioner with experience dealing with expansion told ESPN.com’s Andy Katz.
The reason is simple: The five remaining schools would be due a huge payday and ultimately could salvage automatic berths to the NCAA tournament and possibly the BCS through expansion themselves.
The commissioner, who didn’t want to be identified because he’s involved in the ongoing realignment of college athletics, told Katz it would be critical for Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Baylor and Iowa State to maintain the Big 12 as an entity or corporation.
“The assets, the amount of money that they would be due by exit fees back to the corporation would be huge,” said the commissioner. “Rather than dissolve the Big 12, they are better off as a Big 12 entity then moving to the Mountain West.”
Taken from:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=5282178
Anyone else feel today’s announcement was just a bit anticlimatic?
The Big 12 has 10 schools, the Big 10 has 12 – Perfect, I had a hard enough time explaining to my girlfriend why it made sense the Big 10 had 11 schools.