A high-powered meeting is scheduled Thursday in Texas.
Athletic Directors DeLoss Dodds of Texas and Bill Byrne of Texas A&M will gather to discuss their departments' futures in light of Nebraska's all-but-announced move to the Big Ten, according to a source from UT with direct knowledge of the event.
Administrators and coaches at Texas and A&M recently have said that the Big 12 would dissolve without Nebraska as at least five Big 12 South schools and either Baylor or Colorado would seek a new home.
The Pacific 10 has offered to take six teams, though administrators at two Big 12 schools have said the Longhorns and Aggies might talk with the Southeastern Conference.
The two schools appear tied together politically in any move. Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a former Aggie Yell Leader, is expected to exert some influence.
At Texas, UT President Bill Powers, Dodds and Associate A.D. Chris Plonsky met with coaches Wednesday “to update them on the latest landscape,'' a Texas source said.
Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe told the New York Times on Wednesday evening that there was “nothing official” to the report on Nebraska's departure. He said there had been a lot of misinformation throughout the months of rumblings of conference realignment and said there was a will within the conference to remain together.
“I think there's a strong, strong interest to ensure that the Big 12 exists, regardless of any kind of possible departures,” Beebe said.
He added that the conference would not rule out carrying on without a conference football title game, something that under NCAA rules requires 12 members to have.
“It would be one less obstacle to getting into the national championship,” Beebe said. “I think television value would still be there. I'm not talking about any specific school that would be departing. It would still be an extremely strong conference and player in the national landscape.”
Beebe said he was doing everything he could to save the league.
“It's certainly been the most challenging time of my career,” he said. “Whatever occurs — and hopefully it will be a good result — I will have wanted to have left it all on the field. There's no stone left unturned or bullet in the chamber.”
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