The Big 12 Conference's possible erosion has begun.

The Pac-10 Conference announced Thursday that the University of Colorado has accepted an invitation to join the league, the first change in the conference in 32 years and the first in what could be sea change in college athletics.

“The University of Colorado is a perfect match - academically and athletically - with the Pac-10,” said Colorado President Bruce Benson.

Larry Scott, the Pac-10 commissioner who has been in office 11 months, called it a “historic moment” for the conference.

“The Pac-10 is poised for tremendous growth,” he said. “The University of Colorado is a great fit for the conference both academically and athletically, and we're incredibly excited to welcome Colorado to the Pac-10.”

Colorada is tentatively scheduled to join the league in 2012.

Pac-10 TV contracts, among the lowest-paying for large conferences, will expire in 2012. Negotiations begin in 2011, by which time Scott hopes to have resolution on the makeup of the conference.

A move by other Big 12 schools could happen quickly.

News outlets in Nebraska have reported that Nebraska will apply for Big Ten Conference membership as early as today. The Executive Committee of the Nebraska Board of Regents meets today at 1 p.m. at Varner Hall on the Nebraska campus.

Chancellor Harvey Perlman and Athletics Director Tom Osborne are on the agenda to speak about a resolution regarding athletics conference alignment.

Missouri, another possible Big Ten candidate, is worried. Missouri curator Warren Erdman told the Associated Press the school has not been asked to join the Big Ten.

That - coupled with more teams joining the Pac-10 - could leave Missouri joining Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State on the sidelines, scrambling to salvage a process that school leaders hoped would result in an upgrade rather than awaiting an invitation that may never come.

“Anything could happen, but we're working hard to stay together,” said Missouri Chancellor Brady Deaton, who added he had called Texas President William Powers to discuss the conference's future after learning of Colorado's departure.

Texas, the big target among Big 12 members, has said it won't be idle during any shake-up, so a dissolution of the Big 12 seems imminent.

Judy Haggard, chairwoman of the Missouri governing board, suggested that Missouri's fate remains unclear.

“It's too soon to say,” she said before a closed meeting. “We're going to be getting a lot of information these next two days.”

Despite repeated references to a carefully crafted statement pledging loyalty to the Big 12, Missouri seemed more than ready to join an expanded Big Ten should an offer have been made. Tiger fans are starting to worry.

Quinn Schortal, a 28-year old project engineer and 2005 Missouri graduate, said he would welcome a move to the Big Ten.

“The way this is being reported now I'm afraid they're going to be left out in the cold,” he said. “They might have burned their bridges (with the Big 12).”

Wednesday, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver pledged support to Iowa and Iowa State. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said his staff is looking into possible non-profit and antitrust angles.

Thursday, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, an Iowa State graduate, addressed the topic during a weekly conference call with reporters.

“Well, while I am opposed to the kind of mischief that's going on with the Big 10 and the Pacific conference,” Harkin said, “I just don't know if this is a proper place for Congress to get involved unless there is something dealing with antitrust or something like that, like interstate commerce.”

He didn't leave it at that.

“It's interesting that those who are always going after the long arm of the federal government, that the federal government is too intrusive, the federal government is too big, now they are calling on the federal government to get involved in sports.”

Harkin put the onus on fans.

“The citizens of Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma and all of the Big 12 all ought to get together and say we have a good Big 12 Conference and we want to keep it that way,” he said.

Where things stand

Colorado - Gone. Sure, every road trip will be a long one. But the Buffaloes are trading Waco, Columbia and Manhattan for Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Seattle.

Nebraska - See ya. Cornhuskers have no aversion to cold-weather football in November.

Texas - Has the bidding closed to get this high-end property? Is there a last-second play call the Big Ten or SEC (or Big 12?) might make to keep the Longhorns from going to the Pac-10?

Texas A&M - Whatever the Longhorns say is fine.

Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State - They'd be delighted to be in the Pacific-16 East, which would be the funniest division name of all time.

Baylor - Pleading with Texas for help worked when the Big 12 was formed. This time? Sorry, Bears.

Kansas - Is it possible for one of the three or four elite college basketball programs in the nation to end up in the Mountain West Conference? Oh, it's possible.

Kansas State - Kansas does have some small mountains, so the transition to the Mountain West wouldn't be completely awkward for K-State.

Missouri - It wants to dance with the Big Ten. But does the Big Ten want to dance with the Tigers?

Iowa State - Is it too late to get Nebraska to change its mind?

- Mike Hlas