Nebraska has accepted an invitation to join the Big Ten and will announce its intentions on Friday, two people with knowledge of the situation said Wednesday.
Reports had surfaced out of Ohio, Nebraska and Texas on Wednesday claiming Nebraska was preparing to accept an invite from the Big Ten.
Nebraska, a Big 12 power, was considered vital to keeping the league together, but it now appears the 14-year-old conference will dissolve with the Cornhuskers’ impending departure. Nebraska’s announcement was pushed forward because of the Big 12’s two-week ultimatum given a week ago demanding a commitment from its members, the source said.
Also, as the Big 12 splits up, Texas and Texas A&M haven’t ruled out becoming members of the Southeastern Conference, the source said. UT officials confirmed Wednesday there is a meeting scheduled between A&M and UT on Thursday to discuss their courses of action. That could include pushing for Baylor to be a part of the Pac-10.
Whether Notre Dame decides to join the 11-member Big Ten will have no bearing on Nebraska becoming the league’s 12th member, the source said.
Also, Colorado is preparing to announce that it will join the Pacific 10, the source said, as a preemptive strike to Baylor making a push through Texas lawmakers to join the other five Big 12 South schools in forming a Pac-10 south division, along with Arizona and Arizona State.
With Nebraska’s announcement scheduled for Friday, the remaining Big 12 members will then have time to sort out where they’re headed, with a south division of the Pac-10 consisting of UT, A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado a very real possibility.
