Why did Nebraska join the Big Ten?

Answer 1

This is a complex answer to the question you asked. There has been bad relations between the Big XII and Nebraska ever since Texas has joined the Big XII. A lot of this has to do with the fact that the Big XII does not evenly dispurse their income amongst chartered schools and the move of the conference headquarters from Kansas City to Dallas. The way money is dispursed in the Big XII Conference is extremely unbalanced with Texas by far getting the most revenues. The Big Ten Conference dispurse income from TV contracts, bowl games, and other contributions equally among Big Ten chartered schools. The Big Ten has an annual income of nearly $170 million more then the Big XII, which means by Nebraska joining the Big Ten they will instantly be receiving nearly $14 million more then if they were in the Big XII not to mention now be part of a national television station, the Big Ten Network. As with most big changes in conferences, the athletic side revolves around football. Nebraska will now be in a more well-balanced football conference and "making" more money. The Big Ten is also more widely recgonized as being a superior academic conference in relation to the Big XII

No matter how you look at it, for the Nebraska community this is a win/win situation both athletically and academically. Of course you will lose natural rivals they might have had with some teams, however, the Big Ten is competitive enough on a wide basis throughout all athletics, they will soo, much like Penn State has, develop new rivalries within conference. There were several other factors I am sure, but these are just a few of the big reasons that might have factored into their decision