Commit #6 and #7 for U of M Today.

U of M land two recruits today.

#6 Jack Miller is a DE/OT from St Johns Jesuit High School in Toledo Ohio gave his commitment today.

Jack is about 6-5 265 lbs and is rated a three star prospect from Scout.

#7 Kevin Sousa is a QB from Lake Nona High School in Orlando Florida.

Kevin goes about 6-4 235 lbs and is also a three star prospect from Scout.

Rittenberg on Expansion Division Alignment.

Rittenberg makes his attempt at division alignment for 2011 here.

Here is a taste.

Delany Division

Penn State
Nebraska
Iowa
Northwestern
Indiana
Purdue

Delaney Division

Ohio State
Michigan State
Michigan
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Illinois

PROTECTED CROSSOVERS

Like the SEC, the new Big Ten will have one protected crossover for each team ...

Penn State-Ohio State
Nebraska-Michigan
Iowa-Minnesota
Northwestern-Wisconsin
Indiana-Illinois
Purdue-Michigan State 

Read his entire article he provides a clear rationale of his divisions.


Here is may take.

You cannot leave Iowa v. Wisconsin on the sideline.  That matchup is to big.

Joe Pa-Osborne Division.

PSU
Nebraska
Iowa
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Indiana


Bo-Woody Division.


U of M
OSU
MSU
Northwestern
Purdue
Illinois


Protected rivals:


OSU-PSU
Nebraska-Michigan
MSU-Iowa
Northwestern-Wisconsin
Purdue-Indiana
Illinois-Minnesota

Hitler Comments on The Big 12's Demise.

Big 12 Dead - Click here for more blooper videos

How The Big Ten May Look With Nebraska.

Big Ten Expansion: Texas and A&M Meet Today, Can These Long Time Rivals Come To An Agreement?

Big Meeting in Austin Today.

The Big Ten will add Nebraska to the conference soon after the Nebraska Board of Regents vote to align with the Big Ten. This of course is a huge addition to the conference, one that seems to fit perfectly not only traditionally but geographically. Hail To The Victors Blog believes it is a definite home run.

The problem is Delaney will need a multiple home run game for expansion to be viewed as a success.

Texas is the most coveted program in the nation. It seems that the Big Ten and Pac 10 are the front runners for the Longhorns, with the SEC on the outside looking in for their services.

This doesn't mean the SEC commissioner Mike Silve will not be active trying to do what is best for his conference. I have believed for sometime that Silve would like to have a Texas presence in the SEC, for no other reason than recruiting. In addition, I cannot see commissioner Silve just sitting back idle, watching the Pac and Big Ten change the face of college football without being heard. Apparently he hasn't been idle, and has been in talks with Texas A&M.

So what we have is the Big Ten, wanting to bring either Texas alone or with Texas A&M to the conference. although the programs are geographically distant, those institutions embody what the Big Ten stands for. Both are AAU members, and both are research orientated public universities in great standing. Besides geography the Big Ten has a Texas Tech problem. If the Texas State Legislature ties Tech to Texas and A&M, The Big Ten will not allow Tech in because of its academic standing, which doesn't fit the Big Ten mold. Needless to say The Big Ten will need help to land Texas in the expansion game.

The Pac 10 on the other hand has invited Texas, Tech, A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado to join Arizona and Arizona State in a new division within the Pac 10, which would make the Pac 10 the first college football super conference. This option seems to be the front runner, because it not only keeps like members together, it allows for a new TV deal for the Pac 10 to be formulated which could be very lucrative for all involved.

Long time rivals will meet today in Austin. Texas and Texas A&M are meeting not only to clear the air of expansion scenarios, but to decide if they will be going to the same conference. You would think this would be an easy decision. But it gets a little complicated if the SEC is truly involved with A&M. All signs from orangeblood.com and the like, point to Texas not wanting to go to the SEC. However many Aggies feel just the opposite, they would welcome an SEC invite, and possibly would like to be in a different conference than Texas, getting out from under the athletic supertanker. This stalemate could very well be difficult to overcome.

Hail To The Victors Blog with an unbelievable amount of help from the contributors at Frank The Tank's Slant believes in the end Texas and A&M, will come to an agreement on joining the Pac 10 with their Big 12 mates.

But do not under estimate Mike Silve and the SEC. If the conference can make a strong pitch to Oklahoma or A&M which is already reported as happening, the Pac 10 deal could be on uneven ground.

This scenario could leave an opening for Texas, and ND to join the Big Ten with Nebraska, all while giving Delany the home run additions he has been striving for.

Of course for this example to occur, The Big 12 would have to stop looking like the largest dysfunctional family on the planet, and Mike Silve of The SEC would have to check his ego at the door, and watch the Pac 10 become the first college football super conference.

When you look at it that way, maybe the Big Ten does have a shot at Texas.

Hail to The Victors Blog would love to hear your take on Big Ten Expansion.

Looks Like Nebraska will be The Big Tens 12th Team.

Nebraska is expected to be the 12th member of the Big Ten on friday.

Nebraska Board of Regents have a new agenda item to vote on.

That item is the 4th item in this fridays meetings.

Click here for public access to Nebraska's Board of Regents agenda.

Below is the outline for fridays meeting.

 AGENDA 

THE BOARD OF REGENTS 

OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA 

Varner Hall 

3835 Holdrege Street 

Lincoln, Nebraska  68583 

Friday, June 11, 2010 

1:00 p.m. 

I. CALL TO ORDER 

II. ROLL CALL 

III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES AND RATIFICATION OF ACTIONS TAKEN ON  

MAY 21, 2010 

IV. KUDOS 

 Cynthia H. Shultz, University of Nebraska at Kearney 

 Patrick Rejda, University of Nebraska Medical Center 

 Kathyrn Krause, University of Nebraska at Omaha 

 Kelly Bartling, University of Nebraska-Lincoln 

V. PUBLIC COMMENT 

The Standing Rules of the Board provide that any person who gives 24 hours notice to the 

Corporation Secretary of the Board may speak to any item that is not on the agenda. In addition, 

any person may appear and address the Board of Regents on any item on the agenda for this 

meeting.  Each person will be given up to five minutes to make his or her remarks. Public 

comment will be limited to a period of 30 minutes. 

VI. RESOLUTIONS 

 Resolution regarding UNL athletic conference alignment. 

VII. HEARINGS 

VIII. UNIVERSITY CONSENT AGENDA 

A. ACADEMIC AFFAIRS 

 1. President’s Personnel Recommendations Addendum VIII-A-1 

 2. Approve recommendations relating to academic program reviews required by the 

NCCPE and approve forwarding of the program review reports to the NCCPE 

  Addendum VIII-A-2 

 3. Approve renaming of UNO Small Business Institute to “Center for Innovation, 

Entrepreneurship, & Franchising” Addendum VIII-A-3 

 4. Approve naming the “Grace Abbott School of Social Work” at the University of 

Nebraska at Omaha Addendum VIII-A-4 

B. BUSINESS AFFAIRS 

  University of Nebraska 

  1. Ratify the President’s approval of Farris Engineering and The Clark Enersen  

   Partners (TCEP) to design the UNL Ken Morrison Life Sciences Research Center 

    Addition and UNMC Eppley Cancer Institute Renovation, respectively 

   Addendum VIII-B-1 

It appears Nebraska joining the Big Ten is a done deal.

Demar Dorsey Has Been Released From his LOI.

Click here for Free Press Story.

The Big Ten and Pac Ten Expansion: Is Nebraska The New Linchpin?

Could Nebraska be the key to expansion?

Sunday was the day for two meetings of university presidents. The Pac 10 met in San Francisco, and the Big Ten met in Chicago. What was presented, could very well create a seismic shift to major college athletics.

The Pac 10 meeting created the most buzz. First year commissioner Larry Scott was given the permission by university presidents to invite new members, after he laid out many different scenarios of possible expansion for those CEO's.

One of those examples had Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Colorado, joining the Pac 10. Since then the Texas Legislature has weighed in trying to tie the Texas schools invited to Baylor, in an attempt to replace Colorado, with the private university.

Now if you remember, Jim Delany of The Big Ten said last month, that there would be little action at this weeks presidents meeting, mentioning he would cook the Brat's if the press brought the Beer, or something to that effect, trying to downplay the meetings.

With good reason I might add, because the Big Ten was the only show in town at that time. But with the Pac 10 moving at light speed, The Big Ten presidents meeting in Chicago has become more urgent to say the least.

What was acknowledged at those meetings was the Big Ten is in deed speeding up the expansion process.

MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon, chairwoman for university presidents said the following.

"Our announcement in December has caused institutions and conferences to consider their futures, and that has had an impact on our deliberations."

Simon also made it clear that a vote was not taken Sunday in regards to expansion candidates. Noting a vote can be taken electronically, and that the members do not have to meet to conduct a vote.

All signs point toward a seriously increased time table for the Big Ten.

So in a nut shell, the potential of quick aggressive Pac 10 expansion, has pushed the Big Ten's timeline.

Now one thing I have learned from Expansionpalooza, to steal a term from Frank The Tank's Slant, is that nothing is set in stone, and expansion is fluid to say the least.

With that said, Hail to The Victors Blog has a take on the major players and what we have seen in the last couple of days by those players.

Texas, is the "Hot Girl" you want to marry, with in-laws that are flat out crazy. Sure, Texas has an 138 million dollar athletic budget, and sure, they are the hottest girl at the party, but there is not a chance in hell, the Big Ten allows Texas Tech to join. This "Tech" academic problem is what OSU president Gee is talking to Delany about in his email. Now add Baylor to the mix, and that is too many in-laws living with you, and the hot chick. So if Texas is tied to Tech, and possibly Baylor, the Big Ten is a non-starter.

So assuming the Big Ten is out, Texas would probably want to explore the possibility of them running their own TV Network, since they have already explored this option, but this would mean keeping the Big 12 together.

Texas has made it clear that keeping the Big 12 together would have to include Nebraska and to a lesser extent Missouri. So it is apparent to me at least, that Texas is the driving force behind these ultimatums on Nebraska and Missouri.

Remember when the Big 12 meetings ended? there wasn't any talk of an ultimatum. All of sudden every leak pointing toward giving Nebraska and Missouri a deadline, came from Texas sources. The American Statesman in Austin, and Orangebloods.com a Texas blog, leading the way.

Texas in my opinion may want to salvage the Big 12, because they have to bring their crazy in-laws with them anywhere they go. Which could turn the Pac 10 and the Big Ten off. With that said, they also do not want to be the team that collapsed the Big 12, so they are pushing Nebraska to decide the actual fate of the conference.

But Texas didn't stop at pressuring Nebraska with an ultimatum, they also through Orangebloods.com leaked a story, which said, if ND joined the Big Ten, the conference would only add one team. Thus leaving Nebraska out in the cold, possibly without a conference. Adding more pressure on Nebraska staying. It is also the opinion of Hail To The Victors Blog, that the Big 12 could care less about Missouri, but keeping Nebraska is the goal, if the conference is to stay intact.

So Nebraska is the new linchpin of college expansion, if they decide to stay, they continue in a conference where Texas is the "belle of the ball" getting more revenue and probably the rights to a Longhorn Network, which would probably trump a Big 12 network even being created. If Nebraska decides to go, Texas works out a deal with the Pac 10 bringing their crazy in-laws along, or possibly coming to the Big Ten without the in-laws, which is highly unlikely. Either way the Big 12 is history.

What happens next will probably happen sooner than later now, and as a self-proclaimed Expansionpalooza junkie, I can't wait to see what happens.

Hail to The Victors Blog would love to here your opinion on Big Ten Expansion.

Sam Webb on 1050 WTKA

Updates on D. Dorsey and A. Kinard.

And it doesn't sound good.

click here.

Interesting Comments From Texas AD.

DeLoss Dodds University of Texas Atheltic Director had some intersting quotes in the lobby of the InterContinental Hotel on the Plaza today, where the Big 12 summer meetings are being held.

Here is a couple of things Dodd said.

“We did not start this,” Dodds told The Kansas City Star in response to questions put to him Tuesday afternoon in the lobby of the InterContinental Hotel on the Plaza. “If we need to finish it, we’ll finish it. We’re going to be a player in whatever happens.”

Dodds addresses the loyality issues.

Asked directly about criticism of Missouri and Nebraska within the Big 12, Dodds denied either school was being disloyal.

“Everybody stays ready,” said Dodds, the head of the Big 12‘s most successful and powerful athletic program. “Everybody figures out what’s best for them and get options."

That includes Texas, Dodds said.

“We’re watching what’s happening with the Big Ten, probably to a lesser degree to the Southeast Conference,” Dodds said. “If the landscape is going to change, we’re going to be a part of it and be a viable part of it. Texas will come out of it in good shape.”

I find these comments to be very interesting. For the enitre article from kansascity.com click here.

A West Virginia Newspaper Weighs in on the Rich Rod Situation.

The Charleston Gazette and Dave Hickman, weigh in on the Rich Rod situation at Michigan, which has led the NCAA to take a closer look at the West Virginia program, while Rodriguez coached there.

Here is a piece of the article.

It seems the question most asked, though, is how the school could possibly deny the one that it didn't own up to - that Rodriguez "failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance within the football program.'' After all, if the university admits to four major rules violations, isn't the fifth one obvious?

Well, of course it is. Here's the sticking point, though. If the school admits that Rodriguez failed to promote that atmosphere of compliance, it can hardly argue that the more specific violations were merely mistakes or errors in judgment. In an atmosphere of non-compliance, the commission of those violations would portray Rodriguez's program as out of control.

Ah, but if Michigan steadfastly stands behind Rodriguez and maintains that he was at all times trying to run a clean program - i.e., promoting an atmosphere of compliance - well, then all of those other issues can be explained away with that simple, "Oops.''

For the rest of the article click here.

Chris Rock Junior Highlights.