Nebraska Football: Old rival could be headed back to the Big 12

One of the older rivals of the Nebraska football team going back to the Big 8 might be working its way back to the Big 12 before too long.

There has been quite a bit of talk about how the college football landscape might change over the next few years. There’s been talk about the Nebraska football team seeing even more rivals join the Big 10 from the Pac-12. There have been rumors about the ACC either disbanding or having to reshape itself drastically. And there’s even been more recent talk about some conferences thinking about booting schools that haven’t been productive.

While the reshaping of the landscape hasn’t happened just yet, it feels like the tectonic plates are going to start shifting any minute. Is it possible that an old rival of the Nebraska football team could be the one that kicks the next round of moves off?

If Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports is correct, then it certainly looks like the Colorado Buffaloes could be the ones to kick things off. Dodd claims that the Buffs have had “substantial” talks with the Big 12 to return to the conference.

"While a move out of the Pac-12 is not assured, Colorado is performing due diligence to determine whether to return to the conference it once called home. The Buffaloes, like the rest of the Pac-12, remain in wait-and-see mode regarding a new media rights deal that has yet to be solidified."

Nebraska football rival looking to go home

As Dodd points out, there isn’t anything concrete at the moment. It appears that what the Pac 12 does with its media rights deal is going to be key to everything. That they still don’t have that in place, just three months ahead of the season, should tell everyone why even one of the worst teams in the conference would want to bail.

Dodds says that Colorado and the Big 12 have met “face to face” several times over the last few months. This isn’t a spur-of-the-moment move because of the news of the ACC or continued failing of the Pac-12. It’s something the old Nebraska football favorite has been wrestling with.

There is one caveat to any deal that would have CU going back to the Big 12. Head coach Deion Sanders would have to approve. It seems unlikely he’d shoot anything down, though, unless he feels like a Pac-12 without USC and UCLA would be easier to compete in.

It’s a safe bet that now the report is out there, things are going to start moving one way or the other.