MAJOR DAY IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL - Colorado accepts PAC 10 Invite

[NormalBob]

Colorado accepts invitation to join Pac-10
By PAT GRAHAM (AP) – 1 hour ago


DENVER — The college sports landscape began a much-anticipated shift Thursday with the University of Colorado accepting an invitation to join the Pac-10.


The Buffaloes might not be the only team bolting from the Big 12. Nebraska could become part of the Big Ten as soon as Friday, and speculation is heavy that Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State may also jump to the Pac-10 to possibly form a 16-team super conference.


"This is the dawning of a new day for the Pac-10," commissioner Larry Scott said shortly after announcing Colorado as the league's 11th member.


And this just might be the demise of the Big 12, the highly successful conference that was formed in 1994 when the Big Eight invited in the four Texas schools.


If the Big 12 is further raided as expected, that would leave Missouri, Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State out in the cold.


Some of these schools could be targets for the Mountain West Conference, which this week held off on inviting rising football power Boise State after speculation swirled about the possible unraveling of the Big 12.


"I continue to work through the process that was agreed upon last week by our board of directors to address membership issues, and am working tirelessly towards the long-term viability of the Big 12," Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe said in a statement.


Colorado jumped at the chance to switch to a new conference once chats with the Pac-10 turned more formal a few days ago.


To wait may have meant missing the boat.


"It's one of those things where if you're not in, you're out. People are saying, 'We can't wait,'" said UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel, who was in charge at Colorado from 1995-98 and was "thrilled" to have the Buffaloes as a member of the league. "I don't know if there's any legitimacy to what's being reported about Nebraska, but if that's happening, it's going to create a chain reaction."


As for whether any other schools might be coming on board, Scott couldn't elaborate.


"No invitations have been issued," he said. "There are still several different scenarios that we may or may not pursue."


Scott had no timetable for when this process of possibly adding more schools may play out or an answer for whether the Pac-10 would stop at having 11 teams.


"I'm authorized to pursue several different scenarios," he said. "What direction it goes in from this point, I can't say because I don't know."

The conference has given some preliminary thoughts to possibly changing the name after adding Colorado.


But that's down the road.


"From my perspective, the name of the conference, the brand — what it stands for — ought to reflect the membership," Scott said. "Until our deliberations are concluded about what is the constitution of our membership, we won't go about the process of thinking about the logo or the name."


The Pac-10's last expansion came in 1978 when the conference added Arizona and Arizona State.


When word surfaced that the Pac-10 might be interested in as many as six Big 12 schools, Baylor alumni began lobbying for the Waco, Texas, school to supplant Colorado on the list of invitees. The Bears were concerned about losing traditional in-state rivals in any conference realignment.


Scott announced in February that the Pac-10 was exploring possible expansion. He was given the authority last weekend to offer invitations to potential new members.


"There's a lot of excitement and enthusiasm about our prospects going forward," Scott said. "We couldn't think of a school that's a better fit academically as well as athletically. This is a very exciting time."


Colorado president Bruce Benson echoed those thoughts, saying, "Our achievements and aspirations match those of the universities in the conference and we look forward to a productive relationship."


Buffaloes athletic director Mike Bohn didn't return a message Thursday, but is scheduled to be at a news conference Friday at Folsom Field.

Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne wasn't at all surprised by the Buffaloes' move out West.

"That's something we thought might happen," he said.


AP Sports Writers Eric Olson, Arnie Stapleton and Josh Dubow contributed to this story.

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press.

[jackfengshui]

The Big 12 (formerly Big 8) is in real danger of being cannibalized by the Pac 10 and the Big Ten. Money talks.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...051102473.html

[NormalBob]

Nebraska is expected to announce joining the Big 10(11) tomorrow afternoon. Their board of regents meets at 1pm EST and conference realignment is on the public agenda for the meeting.

[NormalBob]

Nebraska approved to join Big Ten Conference

Source: Big Ten Network
Posted: Thursday, June 10, 2010 12:12:00 PM EST
Published: Friday, June 11, 2010 6:06:15 PM EST
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Nebraska AD Osborne talks Big Ten
Nebraska Chancellor talks NU move
Nebraska votes on realignment
Park Ridge, Ill.— The Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors (COP/C) announced unanimous approval today for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) to join the Big Ten Conference effective July 1, 2011, with competition to begin in all sports for the 2011-12 academic year. UNL will also seek admission into the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), which can occur on or before July 1, 2011.

The addition of the University of Nebraska marks the Big Ten's first expansion since Penn State University joined the conference in June of 1990 and will increase Big Ten membership to 12 institutions for the first time in conference annals. Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany will join University of Nebraska Chancellor Harvey Perlman and Director of Athletics Tom Osborne on campus in Lincoln, Neb., for press conference at 5 p.m. CT on Friday, June 11.

"By unanimous vote, the Big Ten Presidents and Chancellors are pleased to welcome the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to the Big Ten Conference," said COP/C Chair and Michigan State President Lou Anna K. Simon. "We believe Nebraska is an extraordinary fit, reflecting the criteria we established at the beginning of the process – high academic quality, competitiveness, cultural compatibility and fiscal responsibility. The extensive and in-depth discussions my colleagues and I have had about Big Ten expansion permitted us to act expeditiously and prudently on the application submitted by Nebraska. We look forward to working with our colleagues at UNL in the years ahead."

"We are pleased that the Presidents/Chancellors of the Big Ten universities agree that the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a proper partner from both an academics standpoint and athletics perspective," Perlman said. "This makes sense for the future of our University. We are honored to be included in the Big Ten."

"The Big Ten Conference has much to offer," Osborne said. "This is a tribute to our athletic program, our academic programs and our fans. This is the right move at the right time. This is a rare opportunity that may not have been an option for us in the future."

In order for an institution to be admitted to the Big Ten Conference, it must submit a written application, which must then be approved by at least 70 percent of the Big Ten COP/C. The University of Nebraska Board of Regents formally submitted an application to join the Big Ten Conference Friday afternoon. The Big Ten COP/C then met via conference call and approved Nebraska's application.

"While Big Ten expansion is exciting and important both academically and athletically, what we are really excited about is building solid, long-lasting relationships with the University, its administrators and staff, its fans and the people of Nebraska," Delany said. "We look forward to reaching out to these groups in the months and years ahead."

About the Big Ten Conference: The Big Ten Conference is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in student-athletes' lives and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. Big Ten universities provide in excess of $100 million in athletic scholarship aid to more than 8,500 men and women student-athletes who compete for 25 championships, 12 for men and 13 for women. Conference institutions sponsor broad-based athletic programs with more than 270 teams. For more information, visit www.bigten.org.