By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland Plain Dealer) - COLUMBUS, Ohio — Nebraska is prepared to join the Big Ten, according to multiple reports. Though the school issued a statement Wednesday night declaring that a decision had not already been made, the Nebraska Board of Regents has added a discussion of conference affiliation to Friday’s scheduled meeting.

It’s then that the Big Ten could officially expand from 11 teams, maybe stopping at 12 teams for now, or maybe continuing with a plan to go to 14 or 16 teams by adding Notre Dame or a number of other schools mentioned in speculation.

Either way, the addition of Nebraska would allow the Big Ten to expand into new territory, add a traditional football power and fanbase to the fold and create a postseason conference championship game, which would be another moneymaker.

The move would be a homecoming of sorts for Bo Pelini, Nebraska’s third-year football coach and a former Ohio State safety and captain. Pelini spoke at an Ohio State coaching clinic in April and at the time sounded like he’d welcome a move to the conference he knows so well.

“The Big Ten has a lot of things going for it,” Pelini said then. “The Big Ten Network is huge. There are tremendous institutions. They compete not only athletically but also academically. … Because of all the things the Big Ten brings to the table, they can attract some quality schools to join the conference.”

A move by Nebraska would cause some sort of reaction in the Big 12, its current conference. Reports have the Pac-10 prepared to invite six other Big 12 members, including Texas and Oklahoma. According to emails from Ohio State president Gordon Gee, the topic of joining the Big Ten has at least been broached with Texas.

These developments reflect an accelerated timetable that Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany acknowledged over the weekend. In December, the Big Ten announced a 12- to 18-month plan to study potential expansion, but action by other conferences pushed the Big Ten to move more quickly.

Sunday, Delany also told reporters that the Big Ten could expand in phases. So if the league stops with Nebraska for now, it may not mean the Big Ten is going to stay at 12 teams for very long.

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