Update II (2:06 p.m. June 11): Texas is reportedly going to announce that it's headed to the Pac-10 on Tuesday, according to Orangebloods.com.
Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman just said the Big Ten provides Nebraska with the stability that the Big 12 could not. Read between the lines in his talk and you'll see that Perlman is making Texas out to be the bad guy.
By the way, Nebraska is expected to be in the Big Ten by 2011 -- and Perlman called any buyout penalty imposed by the Big 12 "inappropriate."
Update I (1:42 p.m. June 11): Nebraska to the Big Ten is a done deal, the Omaha World-Herald reports.
Two sources from conference offices said that Big Ten Commissioner JimOh, and Boise State jumped from the WAC to the Mountain West Conference ... if anyone cares.Delany contacted BIg 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe on Friday morning to
inform Beebe that Delany had officially invited Nebraska to join.
Asource with direct knowledge of the situation said Nebraska accepted.
As for the mass exodus of Big 12 South teams to the Pac-10, don't look for
that announcement to come until next week. Also, Orangebloods.com's Chip
Brown is shooting down
KCTV 5's Texas-to-the-Big-Ten story. Now, KCTV 5 is
reporting that the head of a TV network has told Big 12 officials
that there's interest in a Big 12/Pac-10 Network and the next TV deal is
rich enough to keep the conference together. Big 12 commissioner Dan
Beebe is supposedly using the contract as a selling point to staying
together.
By the way, the Waco
Tribune is reporting that Texas football coach Mack Brown
doesn't want to leave the Big 12 (why would he want to make his road to
the National Championship more difficult?).
The Jayhawks may also
have another suitor: the Big East. Washington Examiner
sports reporter Jim Williams posted a Twitter update
saying Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri and Iowa State "are starting
talks with The Big East." The league would have a 12 teams in football
and 20 in basketball.
Williams added: "Top Big East brass welcome
talks with Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri and Iowa State. Big push by
Cincinnati and Louisville to add them."
As far as Missouri's
loyalty pledge, don't expect one. University of
Missouri system president Gary Forsee told
the Star
that Mizzou doesn't have to justify its love
loyalty to the Big 12.
Colorado's jump to the Pac-10 could cost
the Buffaloes $9 million, according to the Star.
The Big 12 has a buyout penalty in its bylaws, forcing defectors to
give up 50 percent of their Big 12 revenue distributions for two years.
Meanwhile,
don't expect the feds to get involved. The Omaha World-Herald reports
that it's unlikely.
Expect more to come.
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The real competition and drama, however, could be between the university attorneys arguing over the penalties of leaving the conference.
Big 12 bylaws require a two-year notice for leaving, and that school forfeits 50 percent of its revenue, derived mostly from television contracts, bowl games and the NCAA Tournament for those two years.
For instance, if a school receives $10 million from the conference in each of those two years, the $20 million total would be cut in half and the penalty money would be distributed to the remaining schools.
The penalty escalates if notice is given in fewer than two years, but Nebraska made it known Friday at its Big Ten party/Big 12 mortgage burn that it had no intention of paying one penalty dollar even though it will join the new league after next season.
Chancellor Harvey Perlman said it would be �inappropriate� for the Big 12 to enforce the penalty because of the conference�s impending doom. Beebe wasn�t going to let the Cornhuskers off the hook.
�That�s contrary to our bylaws to me,� he said.
On this matter, Beebe will have considerable support from Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State and Baylor, the five schools that as of the moment aren�t being openly courted by another conference.
Say seven schools jump ship and penalties are enforced. The Big 12 will have handed out $139 million to its 12 schools this year. Under the league�s bylaws the lion�s share of that money will be withheld from the lease-breaking seven and awarded to the leftover five.
As much as $20 mil a pop. Nice seed money to start a new life, yes?
Ah, but there�s a snag. The Big 12 is incorporated in Delaware because of the state�s friendly corporate laws.
And where it takes nine votes to change any Big 12 bylaw, there�s nothing on the Big 12 books about dissolution. In Delaware, majority rules, and seven votes could dissolve a conference.
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