According to the American-Statesman (an Austin, TX-based newspaper), both Missouri and Nebraska have been given an ultimatum to decide whether their respective futures will remain with the Big 12. Both schools have until Friday (June 11) to notify Big 12 officials whether they'll be headed to the Big Ten conference.
If both schools do choose to leave, it's likely that the Big 12 will start to collapse in on itself like a dying star. The Pac-10 already appears to be ready to extend an invitation to Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado. Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott, in addition to looking to expand his conference, will reportedly recommend that the Pac-10 start its own television network, which could provide each conference member $20 million in annual payments. According to ESPN, Big 12 teams currently earn between $7 and $10 million annually under their current television contract. As always, if you're looking to find out what's going to happen to your favorite conference, follow the money.
Anyone but Notre Dame in the Big Te(leven)n. Anytime it's X or Notre Dame, I'll go with X. Not to mention, I'd love to see the Big 10 play some conference games outside the Great Lakes region.
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