Nebraska decision on Big Ten could come Friday

Will the University of Nebraska soon join Minnesota and the rest of the Big Ten athletic conference? An answer could come by the end of the week.

Nebraska's board of regents meets Friday and is expected to take up the question of whether the Cornhuskers should switch leagues.

Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne said a decision has not been finalized, and he declined comment when asked whether the Big Ten had formally invited Nebraska to join the league.

Shawn Watson, the offensive coordinator for Nebraska's football team, said Osborne hasn't given the athletic department staff an indication which way the school will go.

Watson said Osborne met with the staff last Friday to tell them about last week's Big 12 meetings and to "get a feel" for what the staff thinks about the Big 12 and Big Ten.

Since then, Watson said, Osborne hasn't updated the staff on developments.

The university issued a statement Wednesday night to counter media reports that regents met informally Wednesday and had already agreed to a move to the Big Ten.

Officials, however, do want a quick resolution on the future of the Huskers' athletic programs, whether that means staying with several longtime rivals in the Big 12 or leaving for the Big Ten.

"The conjecture and all the intensity surrounding it is not positive," Regent Jim McClurg said of the impending decision. "Everybody needs to know and has a right to know. The calamity and opportunity that's conjured up by not knowing sometimes exceeds reality, so I think it's important to get a decision done."

On Thursday, the Colorado Buffaloes bolted from the Big 12, accepting an invitation to become the 11th member of the Pac-10 Conference.

It's the first expansion of the league since it added Arizona and Arizona State in 1978. More teams could follow Colorado from the Big 12 to the Pac-10.

Reports say Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State could accept invitations soon.

The Big Ten announced late last year it was considering adding at least one school, and possibly more, to allow for a lucrative league championship game in football and broaden the reach of its cable television network.

Based on 2009 figures, Nebraska would double the amount of money it receives from conference distributions in the Big Ten. Big Ten schools received about $20 million a year in revenue compared with the $10 million Nebraska took in from the Big 12.

If Nebraska abides by the Big 12's "good faith" provision in the league bylaws, the switch would take effect in 2012-13. An institution that withdraws from the Big 12 loses 50 percent of the revenue it would have received from the Big 12 during those two years. A school could lose up to 90 percent of its allotment if it leaves sooner.

Former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer, a coaching rival of Osborne's in the 1970s and '80s and longtime friend, said hearing Nebraska and the Big Ten in the same sentence doesn't sound right.

Switzer told The Associated Press he doesn't envy Osborne having to play a major role in the possible destruction of the Big 12, which evolved from the old Big Eight and Southwest Conference.

"I'm sure it weighs heavily on Tom," Switzer said. "I hate to think we would lose what we have and what we built for so long. Finances are a factor, and sometimes you have to give up tradition for finances."

McClurg said the Big 12 has been a good fit for Nebraska but the Big Ten, if it extends an invitation, could be better. It would greatly expand the school's reach and could mean far more money for the school's athletic programs.

"We have to seriously evaluate any opportunity that comes our way," McClurg said, "because everybody else is doing that."

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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