Last call -- Lincoln Blog

Nebraska football coach Bo Pelini is Big Ten born and bred.

He grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, in the same neighborhood with the Stoops family and boxer Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini. Pelini played defensive back for the Ohio State Buckeyes, serving as team captain his senior year in 1990.

He was asked during the Huskers' introductory Big Ten news conference if welcomed some new Big Ten rivalries, specifically Iowa and Minnesota.

"I'm not an emotional guy," Pelini deadpanned. The auditorium broke out in laughter. Pelini is well known for his emotions on the sidelines. After falling to Texas in the Big 12 title game on a controversial call with the clock, Pelini's tirade was well documented.

He should fit right in with Iowa's Kirk Ferentz and Ohio State's Jim Tressel.

"It's a great conference with a great reputation," Pelini said. "Everybody knows my philosophy, concentrate on the task at hand. The task at hand is what we have coming up here in September."

The Huskers are slated to begin Big Ten play in 2011.

Big Ten championship game

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said during the news conference that a Big Ten championship football game could be coming in 2011.

"I presume that we will," he said.

Too early to tell where a title game would be played. Chicago's Soldier Field and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis would be top candidates.

"It's important to get it right, and there's no silver bullet," Delany said. "There will be different views on it."

Name change?

Since 1991, the Big Ten has lived with an inaccurate name. When Penn State joined, the conference grew to 11 teams. With Nebraska, it's 12 and the "Big Ten" moniker is now even more inaccurate.

The Big Ten brand might be strong enough to withstand a 12th team. It might be strong enough to withstand 16 teams.

"When we added Penn State, we found the Big Ten was a name that carried a lot of meaning to a lot of people. As a result, we kept the name," he said.

But Delany is taking it under consideration.

"To be honest, we haven't had a discussion about it, but there are a lot of people out there with computers who think they'd like to help us," he said. "So, it's something we're going to have to figure out a little bit. To be honest, I don't know the answer to that question."

Divisions

Delany wasn't prepared to talk specifics in regard to divisions.

He stressed the importance of "competitive fairness," with the idea of avoiding the debacle that became the Big 12 South vs. Big 12 North. Other factors will include rivalries and geography.

On rivalries: "We're going into this with the idea that rivalries do matter," Delany said. "They really matter, but not all rivalries are equal."

He said some schools have three intense rivals. Others have "modest" rivalries.

"We're going into this with the idea of appreciating the value of those rivalries, all within the context of competitive fairness," Delany said.

Big Ten football schedules also could change. Right now, schools play four non-conference games and eight in the Big Ten. Nebraska athletics director Tom Osborne said that could change, saying there could be one more conference game, moving to a 9-3 model.

Done with the Big 12?

During a teleconference with reporters, Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe said he believes the Big Ten is finished pursuing schools in his conference.

"My understanding is there aren't any other conference members considered by the Big Ten," Beebe said.

This puts Missouri in a vise.

During the Nebraska Board of Regents meeting, UNL chancellor Harvey Perlman said Missouri's openness in its desire to join the Big Ten prompted Nebraska to scout its options.

Missouri doesn't have an invitation to join the Big Ten. The Big Ten and Nebraska started this dance "three to four weeks" ago, Perlman said. As of this week, Missouri hadn't heard from the Big Ten.

Also, Missouri isn't among schools mentioned for possible inclusion in the Pac-10 (Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech).

The Tigers are sitting at the table of unknown with Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State and Baylor.

"When 'the dust settles,' Mizzou will be in a strong position nationally," athletic director Mike Alden said in a statement. "We don't know the timeline of all of these activities, so your patience and commitment is appreciated."