You might have seen recently that the Big 12 presidents have set a Friday, 5pm deadline for Nebraska (and Missouri) to announce their conference intentions. Missouri is lumped in to the deadline, but few in the Big 12 are really focused on Missouri. If they leave, they leave. But all eyes are on Nebraska, as they serve as a much more pivotal role in the future of the Big 12.

The existence of the “loyalty deadline” tells us 3 things:

1) That Nebraska is indeed having some level of discussions with the Big Ten…and there is mutual interest. If it were just a case of Nebraska having some minor interest in the Big Ten and the Big Ten not willing to take them, there would be no need for a deadline.

2) The Big 12 presidents feel that Nebraska is a big enough factor in what direction the conference members will take for their own futures. In other words, if Missouri were to leave, the presidents might simply look west to Utah or BYU for a replacement. But if Nebraska left…

3) The “Big 12-Six” might take a Nebraska departure as enough reason to leave and join the Pac-10. More on the Pac-10 expansion plans in the next article.

So the loyalty oath has at least confirmed publicly, that the “Nebraska to the Big Ten” scenario is very much something that could happen…along with Missouri. And if you’re Nebraska, and you have the opportunity to make more money in the Big Ten…and be in a conference you might prefer to be in, then it makes little sense for either them of Missouri to commit longterm.

By 5pm on Friday, expect to hear that neither school is willing to commit longterm unless in fact they are able to avoid any newly created exit costs.