Quotes from an anxiety-filled weekend in college athletics

"I know there's some anxiety being created there." -- Pacific-10 Comissioner Larry Scott. (Hence my headline)

“Larry Scott wants to fire the first bullet. The pressure is being put on Nebraska and Missouri. Over the next two weeks, we're going to know where we stand.”  a Big 12 athletic official who spoke on condition of anonymity to Pete Thamel of the New York Times.

"Anybody would be risking a lot by going to another place where they'll be outsiders for a long time. -- Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe.

"Our announcement in December (to re-examine expansion possibilities) has caused individual institutions to consider their future and conferences to consider their future. That has had an impact on our deliberations." -- Michigan State President Lou Anna K. Simon.

"There is comfort for Nebraskans in knowing Osborne is calling the plays once again. But the scary part is this: does the coach have a Big Ten card in his hand? Or is he staring down Texas without one?

"Things look good for NU, but there's a nightmare scenario out there.

"What if the Big Ten invite never comes and the Big 12 falls apart while Texas takes the Big 12 South to the Left Coast? What if there is no Big Ten or Big 12 for Nebraska to find shelter?

"I would think - hope - that Osborne wouldn't play this game without a Big 10 offer in hand - or the promise of one. Or, he would come back to the Big 12 table, and get some concessions, if the Big Ten won't give him an answer. Ultimately, I think Osborne will take care of Nebraska's best interest, and not worry about going one-up on Texas." -- Tom Shatel, Omaha World Herald

"One of our options was not to act, the other option was to act with a single member

and another option would be acting on multiple members. There could be a decision not to act. That's always been on the table." -- Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany.

"Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany admitted to Congress a 16-team playoff could gross four times what the current Bowl Championship Series does – in other words about $900 million annually.

"He opposed it anyway. Beebe and the others never seemed to ask why. They're finding out now.

"Conference expansion is about to forever alter college athletics: destroying traditions, hammering taxpayers and increasing competition. It will leave once-major programs out of the loop, consolidate power and extend the gap between haves and have nots – even within leagues such as the Big Ten. -- Dan Wetzel, Yahoo Sports

"The West Coast is the gateway to the Pacific Rim. We've got a lot of student-athletes with Asian roots. Some of our schools have a very high level of brand recognition in Asia and a lot of international interest. I think we're going to be the first collegiate conference to have an international marketing plan." -- The Pac-10's Scott

"Whenever lockouts or holdouts dominate the news in one of our professional leagues, I get lots of e-mails from people telling me, 'This is why I only follow the college game; the pros are all about money.'

"Well, it's not exactly news that big money is at stake in college football. We all get somewhat surprised when we see coaches' salaries going through the roof ($4 million ... for Lane Kiffin?). It's even more mind-boggling when we see college presidents aggressively chasing dollars that will change the nature of century-old rivalries.

"It's understandable that Texas doesn't play in the Southwest Conference any longer or that Nebraska no longer dominates the Big Eight. Change happens and sometimes for good reason.

"But if fans reach the point with the college game where money has trumped tradition, where the Pac-16 or the Big 14 (up from 10) makes the Big 12 nothing more than a two-decade answer to a "Whatever Happened to..." question, then there's a real problem.

"College sports can thrive in spite of all kinds of problems. An unhealthy level of cynicism on the part of the game's fans is not one of them." -- Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News

"The battle to keep the Big Ten at 10 is lost, but a few rules should guide any expansion. If your students can harvest oysters without leaving the state, you are not a Big Ten school. If they can leave class and be standing in a cornfield within 20 minutes, you are.

"Does summer smell like salt water? Out. Is it fragrant with cow manure? In. Mountains and beaches? Let's think about this. Flat vistas that go on longer than the Academy Awards telecast? Now we're talking." --

Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune