Colorado leaves Big 12 for Pac-10

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — College athletics are on the verge of a monumental shift, a realignment that could disintegrate one conference, turn others into 16-school goliaths and have huge financial implications on some of the biggest programs in the country.

The first card flipped on Thursday, when Colorado ditched the Big 12 for the Pac-10. Next up are Nebraska and Missouri, both facing decisions that could spark another exodus and the collapse of the Big 12.

'(Now) the first move is made, I think you'll see the dominos start falling,' said Joel Maxcey, sports economist at the University of Georgia.

It's already been a wild ride.

The Big Ten started it off by exploring plans to expand, an effort it hoped would add more eyes to its successful cable network and reach the NCAA minimum of 12 teams required to hold a conference championship game in football.

The Big Ten's big grab led to harried calls between rivals, political ploys and behind-the-scenes maneuvering as schools across the country look to make sure they're not standing alone, pockets empty, when the music stops.

Colorado took a pre-emptive strike, deciding to head west to the Pac-10 instead of waiting to see what everyone else was going to do.

Colorado will be Pac-10's 11th member, tentatively beginning in 2012.

The next move could come today, when Nebraska and Missouri face a stay-or-go ultimatum from the Big 12.

Nebraska seems most likely to go.

The Cornhuskers have long-standing ties with many of the schools in the Big 12's North Division — they've played Kansas and Missouri in football since the 1890s — but Big Ten money might be too much to pass up.

Nebraska's regents are scheduled to meet today to discuss conference realignment. Colorado's decision to bolt early could play a role in the decision, though it might already be a done deal.

'It doesn't say anything,' Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne said of Colorado's announcement. 'I really have no comment on this. I'm not saying we're gone or not gone. Until we have a definite decision, I'm not saying anything else.'

Missouri faces a more difficult challenge.

The school has expressed interest in joining the Big Ten and seemed to be a good fit with its proximity and heated rivalry with Illinois. But Missouri apparently became a less-popular choice for the conference in recent weeks and the university's curator said Thursday the school had not been invited to join the Big Ten.

Even if Missouri decides to stay in the Big 12, the school could be left to forage amid the scraps of the Big 12 or searching for another, lower-profile, less-profitable conference.

'There's a lot of concern among alumni about what happens to Mizzou and how this works out,' said Todd McCubbin, executive director of the Missouri Alumni Association.

The next round of movement could be the most volatile.

The Big Ten appears to be interested in adding Notre Dame — as most conferences would — though Fighting Irish athletic director Jack Swarbrick said Thursday that the school's position hasn't changed and wouldn't comment on realignment. The Big Ten might also be looking east, to pilfer schools from the Big East.