Stormy Big 12 sends Nebraska to Big Ten

LINCOLN, Neb. - The Schick and Nick Show, an Omaha sports radio program, opened Friday morning with a clip of the 2009 Big 12 championship game. You know, the one where Texas found one second left on the clock and booted a field goal to beat Nebraska and advance to the BCS national title game.

It was scored with the build-up music from "Rocky." A tease for the afternoon show, "Unsportsmanlike Conduct," on "The Zone," said this could be the biggest day ever.

They were poised for change here in the morning. They got it in the afternoon a lot quicker than anyone imagined.

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved the school's application to the Big Ten Conference with a unanimous vote of 12-0. A couple of hours later, the Big Ten gave its stamp of approval with another unanimous vote for competition in all sports to begin with the 2011-2012 academic year.

"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," Michigan State President Lou Anna K. Simon, the chair of the Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors, said. "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.”

Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said the league is not finished with expansion, but "it has to make sense" and the original timetable of 12-18 months remains in place. 

Delany also said  the Big Ten will be splitting into two divisions for football in 2011, and start exploring a championship game pitting the winner of each division. Those discussions would be held during the next three to four months.  

Iowa Director of Athletics Gary Barta welcomed the Cornhuskers with open arms.

"The addition of Nebraska is an extremely exciting development for the Big Ten, and especially for Hawkeye student-athletes, coaches, and supporters," Barta said. "I expect Iowa and Nebraska to quickly develop a healthy athletic rivalry that will stir the passions of our respective fans and captivate the region and the nation. Much of what makes college athletics great involves the rivalries that develop over the years, and the Hawkeyes and Cornhuskers are a natural to grow into one of the nation's next marquee rivalries.”

Meanwhile, all the posturing and rhetoric you've read about the Big 12 in the last few weeks is true. Nebraska officials put their foot down with their decision to pursue Big Ten membership and Friday's vote.

"There has been much discussion to make Nebraska responsible for changes the changes that have been made and forecast for the possible breakup of the Big 12 should it occur," Nebraska Chancellor Harvey Perlman told the Board of Regents. "One school leaving a conference doesn't destroy a conference."

Nebraska is the second Big 12 school to leave the conference in the last two days. Thursday, Colorado announced it would accept an invitation to the Pac-10.

Athletic Director Tom Osborne took the breakup notion one step farther and pointed the finger directly toward Texas.

"One school leaving a conference does not break up a conference," Osborne said. "Two schools leaving a conference does not break up a conference.

"Six schools leaving a conference breaks up a conference."

Reports have surfaced in the last few weeks that had Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech also heading to the Pac-10. That could happen as early as next week, according to Orangebloods.com. The Oklahoman reported Friday that OU is headed to the Pac-10, but would wait for Texas to announce before it made anything official.

When the Big Ten announced it was studying expansion last December, Missouri made public statements that it would welcome an invite. Nebraska officials read this as "not clearly supportive of the Big 12." Colorado made some comments about the Pac-10, Perlman said, and made the jump official Thursday.

"As Tom Osborne and I looked at that, we thought Nebraska was in a very vulnerable position," Perlman said. "By geography, we sit here with not a lot of options, nor a lot of schools that could be added to a conference to bring it back to 12."

With Missouri and Colorado wavering, the Big 12 North looked like a shaky proposition. So, Nebraska reached out to the Big Ten, Perlman said.

Before the Big 12 meetings a week and a half ago in Kansas City, Nebraska held informal discussions with the Big Ten. The two parties exchanged expectations.

In Kansas City, during the meetings with Big 12 presidents, the Pac-10 discussions with much of the Big 12 South were confirmed.

"It was also suggested to me that they had to decide quickly, whether to pursue that option or not," Perlman said, "but that if Nebraska stayed in the Big 12, they would stay in the Big 12."

This is when Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe issued all conference members the "ultimatum" that was widely discussed last week.

Perlman said the Big 12 wanted that commitment in Kansas City and responded with "I indicated I could make no such commitment without consultation with the Board of Regents."

The nature of the commitment would've been a public statement from the president or chancellor with unequivocal commitment for the Big 12. Beebe asked Perlman to commit to the conference through "at least 2016."

"Neither Tom nor I thought that was a very long-term commitment to the Big 12," Perlman said.

At that point, Nebraska went back to the Big Ten. Perlman talked to Delany and conference presidents. They said they "would, in fact, give careful consideration to the application."

After mentioning several academic benefits, Perlman dropped the money quote.

"The most important reason from our standpoint is this will bring Nebraska the stability that the Big 12 cannot offer," he said. "Even if we stayed in the Big 12, even if it held together with 11 members, I could not stand here and give this board assurance that would remain the same for three years or five years.

"We would most likely not have another option at that point in time."

How did this sit with Nebraska's coaches? Osborne said on two occasions he asked coaches, assistant coaches and athletics administrators what their preference would be. 

"On both occasions, the vote came out not at 70 percent, not 80, not 90, but 100 percent," Osborne said, "that they were in favor of making this move."

As far as travel, Nebraska officials hope the Big Ten Network can fill in some of the blanks for fans.

Nebraska's cut from the Big Ten won't affect the rest of the conference for at least a year. In the interim, Nebraska will be guaranteed to make as least as much as it did from the Big 12 as far as revenue goes.

Nebraska becomes the first school brought into the Big Ten since Penn State joined the conference in 1990.

By the way, Iowa is the Huskers' closest Big Ten rival, with a five-hour drive between Lincoln and Iowa City. Nebraska fans would be looking at 17 hours behind the wheel for a roadie to State College, Pa.

The Big 12 bylaws state that "withdrawing" conference members who give two years notice before leaving face penalties. Also, there are penalties for "breaching members," ones who give less than two years notice.

Of course, there might not be a Big 12 around to level such penalties, which could be a fine of up to $10 million. Perlman said he didn't believe the Big 12 was in a position to impose sanctions.

There is sentiment that the Big 12 could remain viable, including Iowa State athletics director Jamie Pollard, who said that to a group of businessmen in Ames on Thursday. Missouri had a closed session meeting Friday to discuss its options. There were reports that Conference USA would target Big 12 schools that remain if the scramble continues.

Nebraska would be the western-most outpost of the Big Ten.

Lincoln is unmistakably west.

There is a bar here called "The Keg," with the name on the sign outlined by a cowboy boot. There is a district here named "Antelope Valley." There even is a smidge of adobe-type architecture.