LINCOLN, Neb. -- So long, Big 12. Nebraska's membership in

the Big Ten Conference is official.

The Big Ten's board of presidents and chancellors unanimously

welcomed Nebraska to the club on Friday, just a few hours after the

school formally disclosed its interest. The move takes effect July

1, 2011.

Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman said the Big Ten offers

stability "that the Big 12 simply cannot offer."

Nebraska is the Big Ten's first addition since 1990, when Penn

State joined, and it comes just six months after the league

announced that it was looking at expansion.

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said he presumed there would be

a Big Ten championship football game beginning in 2011. He also

said the conference would "pause" from further expansion during the

next 12 to 18 months. He declined to comment on whether Notre Dame

or any other school was on the league's radar.

Nebraska's departure is a potentially crippling blow to the Big

12 and the biggest move yet in an offseason overhaul that will

leave college sports looking much different by this time next year.

"We've had a couple disappointing days with the departure of

two valued members," Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe said during a

teleconference. Beebe vowed to work to keep the 10 remaining

members together but acknowledged that other Big 12 schools are

mulling their options.

Perlman said he believed Nebraska is much more "aligned" with

the Big Ten than the Big 12 when it comes to academics, culture and

athletics.

The university issued a statement that said for more than 20

years, Nebraska has compared itself to a list of 10 peer

institutions established by the regents. Five of the 10 are Big Ten

members; four are former Big Eight schools that joined Nebraska in

the Big 12 in 1996.

"The University of Nebraska would have new opportunities with

membership in the Big Ten -- and I believe the Big Ten would be a

stronger conference as well," university president J.B. Milliken

said.

Nebraska's move comes at the end of a crazy week in college

athletics.

On Thursday, fellow Big 12 member Colorado announced it was

leaving for the Pac-10. Texas and other schools in the Big 12 South

-- Perlman told the regents that the Pac-10 had been in touch with

many schools in that division -- could be the next to leave.

Texas

regents have scheduled a meeting for Tuesday to discuss the Longhorns'

future in the Big 12.

"One school leaving a conference does not destroy a

conference," Perlman said. "Nebraska did not start this

discussion. After the Big Ten announced it planned to consider

expansion, we saw reports that Missouri would want to go to the Big

Ten, including a statement by their governor, a member of board of

curators and chancellor -- comments that weren't clearly supportive

of the Big 12."

Nebraska athletic director Tom Osborne, the longtime football coach,

agreed.