Nebraska To Join Big Ten

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Jun 10, 2010 2:20PM

The other day, we mentioned how an apparent ultimatum issued to a couple of Big 12 schools could bring the issue of Big Ten expansion to a head as soon as this week. As a result, it now appears that the Nebraska Cornhuskers will defect and join the Big Ten. An official invite to the Big Ten and an announcement of Nebraska's intentions might come as soon as Friday.

So what do we think? Other than Notre Dame, Nebraska is the best fit for the conference. A historic football powerhouse, the school also fits well into the Big Ten's Midwestern footprint. If true, this move makes a lot more sense than going after one of the Big East teams.

As a result of Nebraska's inclusion, the Big Ten would grow to twelve teams while the Big 12 might implode as a result. Rumors have suggested that Texas would bolt for the Pac-10 if Nebraska left, and it was expected to take Texas Tech and Texas A&M along. Now, the west coast conference appears to be prepping to invite the three Texas universities plus Colorado, Oklahoma and Oklahoma St. And it appears that the SEC is also making a play, at least on Texas A&M. That would take the Pac-10 to 16 teams, while leaving the Big 12 with just five remaining schools. If the Big 12 disappears completely, we wouldn't be surprised to see a couple more of their teams end up in the Big Ten as well.