Reports Indicate Nebraska Will Bolt For Big 10 Friday

By Dan Bewley, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- Nebraska is ready to accept an invitation to join the Big 10 as soon as Friday, a Big 12 official told the Omaha World Herald.

An Ohio television station reported Wednesday that the Big 10 has extended an official offer to the Cornhuskers. Orangebloods.com is also reporting that the Nebraska Board of Regents met Wednesday and decided to accept the invitation, which it will announce Friday.

"Tom Osborne signed it and Barry Switzer signed it," said Don Nelson, a Nebraska alumni.

Don Nelson is Big Red through and through, Cornhusker red that is. From Herbie Husker to a Nebraska gnome to a Big Red flag, Nelson is a Cornhusker making a living among a bunch of Sooners.

"It's been great. The OU fans and the Nebraska fans have a common respect for each other," he said.

Nelson is the president of the Oklahoma Chapter of the Nebraska Alumni Association.

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He's now waiting for the official announcement that his beloved Huskers are leaving the Big 12 and heading to the Big 10.

"All in all I think it's going to be a good move," Nelson said. "It's going to open up the doors to the playoff system, I think, and we need that really bad. It's a mess."

The move is one of the first of what's expected to be a major realignment in college athletics. Nebraska is expected to make at least $12 million more a year by switching conferences.

OU and OSU are also believed to be changing conferences and heading to the Pac-10.

Lynn Whitsett is a lifelong Sooner fan. She's not worried about the potential changes and isn't concerned that Huskers will be in a different conference.

"Nebraska hasn't been up to par in football from what they used to be so that's not a big deal," Whitsett said. "But if the TV money works better for OU to go to another conference I'm okay with that too."

While he's excited for the new opportunity, Nelson says he'd much rather things stay the way they are.

"If I had my druthers I would rather it stay the Big 12," Nelson said.

Nelson says his biggest worry for fans is the long road trips. The Big 10 goes into Pennsylvania, and there's talk the conference could add schools from New York.

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