Oh things were so much simpler just one month ago in the world of college football. All of the offseason buzz centered around the Big Ten contemplating the idea of inviting 3-5 teams to join their conference in its effort to expand to a 14-16 team league. As if the idea of a BCS conference expanding wasn’t juicy enough, it was also being reported that the conference was going to try to lure longtime independent Notre Dame into the fold. Notre Dame responded by sending a loud “no thank you” back to the Big Ten and insisted that they were content with their independent status. Then it was thought that the Big Ten would raid the Big East conference taking away schools such as Rutgers and Pittsburgh. For now though the Big Ten isn’t making any firm expansion plans, even after meetings in Chicago. Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney insisted that the conference has a 12-18 month timetable to discuss expansion.

Who knew a possible Big Ten expansion would only be the tip of the iceberg in what is shaping up to be a college football arms race.

Recently the PAC 10 conference announced that they are also investigating a possible expansion, only they seem to be more aggressive than the Big Ten. It also should be noted that the PAC 10 doesn’t plan on expanding with members of the Mountain West or WAC conferences but is rather eyeing a raid of the Big 12 conference to grab new members. In fact PAC 10 commissioner Larry Scott has said that he has been given permission to talk to schools about expansion.

Just a month ago the consensus thinking was that the Big Ten would be the conference to make the first expansion move and that they would raid the Big East leaving them powerless in the process. Well fast-forward and that same thinking still exist, excepts now it appears that the PAC 10 is the hunter and the Big 12 is the hunted so to speak.

Right now Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and Colorado all are rumored in the PAC 10 expansion plan. As if that wasn’t bad enough for the Big 12, Nebraska and Missouri are considering leaving for the Big 10 (who still has expansion plans). The Big 10 is also rumored to be looking into luring Texas away from the Big 12 and into the Big 10 as well. Basically the Big 12 is being fired on from every direction right now.
This gunfire is so heavy that the Big 12 has handed out ultimatums for Missouri and Nebraska. Here is what two high ranking Big 12 officials had to say about the ultimatum.

"Nebraska has until 5 p.m. on Friday to tell us what they're going to do," one school official said, according to the The American-Statesman. "The same deal for Missouri. They have to tell us they're not going to the Big Ten."

Yeah, there are definitely some presidents very worried within the Big 12 conference. Who has reason to be worried though? It seems like even if the conference did break up that everyone would have a parachute to jump with. According to a PAC 10 expansion plan half the league would end up in the newly formed power league, while Missouri and Nebraska have the option of bolting for the Big 12.

That leaves Iowa State, Baylor, Kansas, and Kansas State as schools whose future is in the air. Kansas chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little has already called Nebraska urging them not to leave the Big 12 in hopes of keeping the conference intact and she plans to call Missouri as well. Little is well aware that Kansas needs to be in power conference to maintain their status as a major player in college athletics.

"There are some universities that survive and thrive without a large athletic program," said Gray-Little. "I hope we don't have to test that out."

There are still many questions left to be answered regarding how all this expansion talk will play out. It is clear though that the Big 10 and PAC 10 are serious about expanding their conferences and that they are both eying Big 12 conference members. A lot can change in one month and while it looked as though the Big East had reason to be concerned that is nothing compared to the concern some Big 12 presidents are feeling right now.