From: Cleveland Plain Dealer -

One of the most volatile periods in NCAA history continues, with the movement of prominent football and men’s basketball programs from powerhouse conferences in the spotlight.

Nebraska and Colorado will leave the Big 12: Nebraska to join the Big Ten; Colorado joining the PAC-10.

A “Goodbye Big 12″ vigil continues, apparently. Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are all but set to leave the league for the PAC-10, and Texas A&M might jump in, too. The Big 12’s Missouri, Kansas and Kansas State are being considered by the Mountain West Conference for membership. The MWC is adding Boise State in that school’s move from the Western Athletic Conference.

ESPN.com reports on the potential Big 12 to PAC-10 moves:

Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will join the Pac-10 Conference when a formal offer is made, a source told ESPN’s Joe Schad on Friday.

Texas A&M, The Austin American-Statesman reported, is torn between joining the Pac-10 or Southeastern Conference. The Aggies will have a 72-hour timetable to decide whether to accept the Pac-10’s offer, the newspaper reported.

A formal offer from the Pac-10 could come as soon as this weekend, the newspaper reported.

Another source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ESPN.com’s Andy Katz that Texas A&M was looking at the SEC, but the source said he is convinced the Aggies will end up in the Pac-10.

In the same story, ESPN.com reports that Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe said on Friday that Big 12 officials are trying to keep the league together.

“We’re working with all those members. We’ve had a lot of positive feedback about the desire of those institutions to [stay] together,” Beebe said. “There’s been a lot of speculation about people going west … I’m going all the way to the final whistle. I’m playing it out as hard and fast as I can.”

ESPN.com cites a Fort Worth Star-Telegram story in a report about the potential moves of Big 12 schools to the MWC:

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Kansas, Missouri and Kansas State are on the Mountain West’s radar amid a continuing shakeup of the Big 12.

But Baylor isn’t considered a candidate to join the conference, with TCU standing staunchly in its way, the Fort Worth newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources.

“The Mountain West wants to be a national player and continue to grow in that realm,” MWC commissioner Craig Thompson said in a conference call with reporters Friday. “We are extremely interested in BCS automatic qualification. We are simply trying to get to the level where each and every year a Mountain West team is playing in a BCS bowl game.”

TCU would mount a lobbying effort against Baylor if the Bears are left out of the conference-realignment mix, the Star-Telegram reported.

But the conference covets Kansas — and its legendary basketball program.

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