Nebraska Reportedly Holds Key To Big 12 Survival, Receives Deadline To Decide Fate

The Big 12 is in trouble. And the only team that can save it from extinction might be...Nebraska? Yes, Nebraska. Of course, it all comes down to money -- in this case television networks and media markets.

As Chip Brown explains, if the Pac-10 does annex six schools from the Big 12, they will create a new cash cow of a league network, in the mold of what the Big Ten has done. Texas, however, has partnered with IMG to create its own network -- a project they would have to give up if they were to accept an invitation from the Pac-10. The Pac-10’s new network would split revenue 16 ways, which would amount to a net loss for Texas over owning its own personal one. As a result, Texas has reportedly been scrambling to get the Big 12 to resolve to stay together. And the biggest domino there is Nebraska.

Like Missouri, Nebraska has been holding out hope that it will receive an invitation from the Big 10 to join the latter’s own super-conference. While the Big 12 apparently feels that Mizzou is expendable, the loss of Nebraska as well is apparently thought to be too much to overcome. The Big 12 has given Nebraska a deadline of less than two weeks to decide its fate in the Big 12 after the league wrapped up its meeting without receiving a vow of support from all of the schools (Colorado is the third Big 12 school that is thought to be ambivalent about keeping the league together, although that might change if Baylor manages to finagle its way into the Buffs’ place in a possible Pac-10 expansion).

Stay tuned.