With Colorado now headed to the Pacific 10 Conference, is there any chance the Buffaloes would still want to play Nebraska in football?
“We plan on playing them in future Rose Bowls, so I don't know if we would schedule them or not,'' CU Associate Athletic Director Dave Plati said Thursday from Boulder, Colo.
All humor aside, Plati said he is interested in future CU-NU games depending on how the current conference realignment plans evolve.
“If it would work out, we'd be very open to playing Nebraska in a series,'' said Plati, who is heavily involved in scheduling.
“Not on a yearly basis. But as an alum of this school and a longtime employee, I'd like to see it continue off and on.''
About 25 years ago, then-Colorado coach Bill McCartney designated Nebraska as the Buffs' rival. The interest in that decision and the move of the game to Thanksgiving weekend eventually created a heated atmosphere.
Colorado's change of leagues Thursday caught some by surprise. But CU President Bruce Benson said the school had long considered a move to the Pac-10.
“We look at it as a real class conference,'' Benson said. “You're judged by who you associate with. We want to be associated with the Pac-10 because it's such great conference.
“That's saying nothing against the Big 12. Some of us have strong loyalties to the Big 12. But we know it's time for the change, and we know this is the exact perfect place for us to go.''
Benson said phone calls received in the first four hours after the announcement were highly positive, including one from the governor.
Is anybody else from the Big 12 going to join Colorado, the Pac-10's first new member since 1978?
Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott, when asked about a report that Oklahoma State had accepted a bid, replied: “That would be news to me.''
The Pac-10 has investigated several schools, Scott said, but contacted few. He declined to speculate on how many more teams might be invited or how soon.
Colorado, which will start competition in the Pac-10 in August 2012, is “a great fit,'' Scott said.
“Coming out of our board meeting last weekend, there are several scenarios that could pan out,'' Scott said. “But in every single one of those scenarios, Colorado made sense to us, so there was no reason to wait any longer.''
Other items:
• Colorado sponsors the minimum number of sports (16) that the Big 12 requires. Scott said CU won't be told to add sports, but discussions have occurred about adding baseball and softball.
• CU officials said they are unclear what penalty they might pay to leave the Big 12. Talks will include having the Pac-10 finance some of the hit.
• Benson on his feelings for the “leftover'' schools in the Big 12 such as Iowa State: “Conferences change pretty regularly. We don't like leaving people behind, but I also have a high regard for the schools in the Big 12. I just think this is a better fit for us.''
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444-1024, lee.barfknecht@owh.com
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