College football expansion officially got underway on Friday when the Colorado Buffaloes accepted an offer to join the Pac-10. The school's board of regents unanimously approved the move, and as a result could have knocked over the first domino toward blowing up the Big 12 altogether.
The sport's offseason news has been dominated by expansion rumors, but Colorado's move was the first tangible piece of evidence that the sport is about undergo a face lift. Nebraska followed suit on Friday, joining the Big 10 and leaving the Big 12 teetering on the edge of oblivion. With Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M among others likely to bolt the conference, the Big 12's days appear to be numbered.
The Pac-10 is targeting the aforementioned teams to join, with rumors of a Pac-16 super-conference with two divisions swirling. Money is at the root of expansion. With the success of the Big 10's TV network and the Pac-10's TV contract with Fox Sports Net set to expire at the end of next  year, the opportunity to create its own network has presented itself. That's why nabbing Colorado was important despite its lackluster performance on the field of late; Denver is a major media market that the Pac-10 now controls.