And so it begins…

Nebraska does what Nebraska needs to do. They will head to the Big 11/12. The Big 11/12 will take them, and then pause.

“Jim is getting his hand forced, and he doesn’t like it,” the source told the Tribune.

But Delany might have no other choice if he wants to reel in Nebraska.

Another source with close ties to Big Ten officials suggested the league wants to add Nebraska and stop there – at 12 teams.

Whether it is a full hold, or merely a pause to see what happens next is unclear.

One thing I feel sure in assuming: Missouri is pretty much crapping their pants.

They don’t know what will happen to them now. Suddenly they go from a lock to not even mentioned in Big Something expansion.

The Big Ten remains interested in both Notre Dame and Rutgers, and Delany appears willing to wait for a final response from the Irish.

A source at Notre Dame, though, indicated that the school likely has “moved on,” with another saying that a top Notre Dame official assured the Big East that it intends to keep teams such as men’s and women’s basketball in the league.

If that’s the case, the Big Ten appears likely to cap at 12 teams.

On the bright side, I guess Missouri can still keep playing Kansas.

The next step in all of this: the Pac-10 is going to apply their own pressure.

Pac-10 officials declined to talk about the deal on the record because of the sensative nature of negotiations, but one with knowledge of the plan said, “It’s locked and loaded.”

Joining the Pac-10 in 2012 would be Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Colorado.

The new Pac-16 would divide into divisions, with the original Pac-8 schools aligned in one division and Arizona and Arizona State joining the six Big 12 schools in the other division.

Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott said last week that the league was working on possibilities that could be revolutionary.

Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds reportedly told his coaches Wednesday that the Big 12 was breaking up and the Longhorns likely were headed to the Pac-10.

Even if Texas and others decide to stay in the Big 12, the Pac-10 would still make a move to expand by two schools, sources said, with Colorado being the No. 1 target.

And Colorado is ready to run West regardless — presumably because they aren’t going to take a chance on Texas politics screwing them. Yet, there will still be talk of a Big 12 – 2.

Officials from Texas and Texas A&M will meet Thursday morning in Austin in a last-ditch effort to save the Big 12 Conference. The regents, presidents and athletic officials from the universities are scheduled to meet with the hope of figuring out how to keep the conference together now that the departures of Nebraska and Colorado appear imminent.

Yeah? Do they trust Missouri? Is TCU and Utah good enough a replacement? I don’t see how they could. And they can’t trust that the Big 11/12 won’t make a move in another month or even another year.

My guess is actually that Texas and Texas A&M are meeting more to figure out if they can get to the Pac-10 without Baylor. Best guess. They will. It just feels like too many things are in motion to stop now. What does kind of amaze me is that unlike the angst from ACC beat writers and columnists in 2003, Pac-10-centric media folk have been almost giddy with excitement over this.

Still, if the Big 12 survives the great conference expansion madness of 2010 becomes more of a whimper. Or it is merely the beginning and the true madness comes in another year or even a few years later when the Big 12 is up for renewing its TV contracts. Or the SEC gets forceful. Or anything that could happen.

So what does this mean elsewhere?

They are antsy in the SEC that they have missed on the big fish, and are way too passive on expansion.

A Pac-16 would grab eyeballs from the Mississippi river to the Pacific Ocean.  Enormous television markets would be inside the league’s giant boundaries.  And a Pac-16 would include some of the most highly-respected and well-funded universities in the nation.

Do you really think a league with Arkansas, Mississippi State, Tennessee and a newcomer like Clemson could stack up?

I’m guessing some of you just said to yourselves, “The SEC will always be the king of football.  That’s where the money is.  That’s where the TVs are.  So the money will always be rolling in and the SEC will remain king.”

But there’s an iceberg-size hole in that Titanic of a thought.  If other leagues set themselves up to make more money than the SEC — not only possible, but likely — then those league’s schools will make more money over time than the SEC’s schools.

That’s more money for coaching salaries, facility upgrades, recruiting trips, etc.  The SEC currently has the highest-paid coaches and the best football stadiums in America.  If other schools pay their coaches more and build bigger, nicer stadiums, doesn’t it stand to reason that they would move to the top of the football world?

ACC teams are also nervous since the SEC might target them, and looking for a little proactive action from their leadership.

Regardless, I think the ACC’s apparent lack of readiness in all of this is shocking and a little alarming. As a conference that raided the Big East a few years ago, you’d think they’d be experienced in this arena. And maybe they’re prepared to act, but don’t want to tip their hand. If that’s the case, I’ll tip my hat at them. But every time I hear ACC Commish John Swofford speak, he just makes it sound like the ACC isn’t concerned about expansion and thinks it won’t effect his 12 teams.  I just wish the ACC would be the aggressor again and target schools like Pitt, Syracuse, and then maybe East Carolina (because you know the NC-focused conference is going to want that) and maybe another Florida team (like USF) because FSU and Miami will likely hold leverage over the conference with the treat of joining the SEC and want more FL team to join the ACC. If the ACC did that, they could be the first to 16, renegotiate their TV deal (which quietly still hasn’t been officially signed…

Yes, get that preemptive expansion going.

Even Conference-USA is gearing up for action.

Chuck Neinas, the former Big 8 commissioner (1971-80) and executive director of the College Football Association (1980-97), confirmed Tuesday that he has been hired by C-USA in a consulting role as the league braces for a significant shift in the college sports landscape.

“Right now, we don’t have any specific marching orders; we’re just analyzing,” Neinas said. “I think they hope to be in a position where they can be proactive, if required, and reactive if necessary. In other words, they just want to be prepared. … I guess we’ll know more next week than this.”

Neinas’ company, Neinas Sports Services, has become a major player as a search firm for schools hiring football coaches and athletic directors. In 2003, Sports Illustrated named him one of the 10 most powerful people in college football with a deep network of connections stretching all over the country from his home base in Boulder, Colo.

C-USA could lose ECU, Memphis and/or UCF if there is a raid on the Big East. At the same time, C-USA could be in a position to grab a school like Baylor — and reunite them with old SWC friends Houston, SMU and Rice — when the Big 12 crumbles.

And so things keep spinning.