With the Big 12 remaining as a viable conference, the Utah Utes are likely to become the final team of the new Pac-10. Colorado accepted a bid to join the Pac-10 last week and Utah is now believed to be the leading candidate to get the conference to 12 schools.

The University of Texas on Monday said it was staying in the Big 12, followed moments later by pledges from Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M to remain in a league that had seemed to be falling apart last week when Nebraska (Big Ten) and Colorado (Pac-10) decided to leave over the next two years. The Texas announcement came shortly after Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott confirmed to The Associated Press in an e-mail that Texas had declined an invitation to become the 12th member of his conference. Scott said Texas president William Powers Jr. told him "the 10 remaining schools in the Big 12 Conference intend to stay together." "University of Texas President Bill Powers has informed us that the 10 remaining schools in the Big 12 Conference intend to stay together," Scott said in a statement. "We are excited about the future of the Pac-10 Conference and we will continue to evaluate future expansion opportunities under the guidelines previously set forth by our Presidents and Chancellors."

Sources tell Orangebloods.com that Texas is at the table with the 10 remaining Big 12 schools working on a TV deal put forth by commissioner Dan Beebe that would hold the conference together. If there's consensus to the deal, and it appears there is, it could be announced as early as Monday, sources said. According to sources familiar with the deal, Texas stands to earn between $20 million and $25 million in television revenue, including money from its own network. The UT network figures to generate between $3 million and $5 million, according to sources. According to sources, the deal will mean more money for Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma, who all stand receive $20 million from the new deal. The other seven schools in the Big 12 would make between $14 million and $17 million, but would nearly double what they currently receive in TV revenue (roughly $7 million to $9 million).

Boise State has accepted an invitation to join the Mountain West Conference, according to a report from ESPN. RealGM Note: The Mountain West has been lobbying for an automatic BCS bid given the success of Utah, BYU and TCU. Boise State has appeared in multiple BCS games and has become a perennial small school power.

Juniors and seniors to-be on the USC Trojans' football team, hit with a two-year postseason ban among other punishments, will be allowed to transfer to other FBS programs without having to sit out a season, the NCAA clarified to ESPN on Friday. "The second school would have to submit a waiver asking to waive the year in residence, but NCAA rules allow for this waiver to be granted if a student-athlete's first school has a postseason ban in their sport," NCAA spokeswoman Stacey Osburn said in an e-mail to ESPN's Joe Schad. The rule does not apply to freshman who have signed national letters of intent, however.

The Trojans will lose 10 scholarships in each of the next three seasons as well as a bowl game in the next two. "I don't think having to miss one game is going to make a kid decide not to go to USC," Lane Kiffin said.

Two media outlets are reporting the NCAA has decided to ban USC?s football team from the postseason for two years and strip the program of scholarships. The Los Angeles Times reported the NCAA sanctions include the loss of more than 20 scholarships. According to a story posted on ESPN.com on Wednesday night, the Trojans also will forfeit wins ?from at least the 2004 season.?