SEC Coverage

Here you go, folks. It's the first officially confirmed domino to fall in the conference expansion game. The Pac-10 has put out a press release announcing Colorado's admittance into the fold. Colorado fans seem happy, overall.

The San Jose Mercury News's Jon Wilner is reporting that Colorado is likely to accept a Pac-10 invitation today. As in, a day before Nebraska is supposed to formally announce its Big Ten membership. Also according to Wilner, the five other rumored schools (Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State) are committed to joining the Pac-10 together if Nebraska bolts. So yeah: the SEC's talks with Texas A&M don't appear to have added up to much. If somehow the Big 12 stays together despite losing Colorado and probably Nebraska, the Pac-10 would add Utah to get to 12. That's the story out of San Jose.

Interesting article from Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman, a guy who actually, you know, lives in Big 12 country. The way he sees it, the Big 12's survival depends on Nebraska, not Texas. He thinks the Big 12 can be fine without Missouri, and I would agree. However it can't really thrive without Nebraska, so if the Huskers stay, then the Big 12 lives. Nebraska, as you probably remember, has been making eyes at the Big Ten over the past couple months (though not as overtly as Missouri has been). It makes sense. After all, Nebraska is the school most dissatisfied with the Big 12's current state. And the Big 12 is the only place where Texas can accomplish all of its goals: enjoy unquestioned conference hegemony, gain an unequally large portion of a TV deal, and keep its options open for starting a UT television network. It can only get the second from the Pac-10, the third from the SEC, and none from the Big Ten.