While the reported Pac-10 merger offer Thursday was a real shocker, talks between the two conferences actually started a month ago focusing on a TV partnership. A quick look in the Sooners Etc archives churned up these articles:

May 6 - ESPN College Football Nation Blog:

Expansion? What about a Pac-10-Big 12 partnership?

Most of the expansion talk on the West Coast has focused on the Pac-10 luring Colorado away from the Big 12, but there's increasing evidence that the Pac-10 and Big 12 also are interested in a potential partnership.

Big 12 and Pac-10 administrators and athletic directors met Wednesday in Phoenix, and afterwards Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott used terms like "strategic alliance" and "pooling TV rights" and "joint network."

None of it sounded terribly adversarial. LINK

May 7 - Dallas Morning News:

More talks likely as Big 12, Pac-10 see benefits of possible alliance

For two days in Phoenix this week, Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe and many of his athletic directors exchanged ideas with Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott and his ADs.

Expect more discussions going forward on a mutually beneficial alliance/partnership. LINK

May 7 - Los Angeles Times:

Pac-10, Big 12 commissioners continue alliance discussion

Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott confirmed that he met with Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe to continue talks that could lead to a collaboration of media rights and expanded scheduling partnerships.

As a possible Big Ten Conference expansion sends shockwaves throughout college sports, the Pacific 10 and Big 12 conferences are continuing talks that could lead to a collaboration of media rights and expanded scheduling partnerships. LINK

May 10 - Big Red Network (Nebraska blog):

Big 12 Answers Critics with Work on Pac-10 Alliance

After thinking that the Big 12 was going to just sit back on the sidelines and wait for the Big Ten to raid the Big 12's coffers, we learn today that the silence on the expansion front may have had something to do with an alliance in the works with the Pac-10. Initial meetings between the two league's commissioners and some athletic directors from the conferences occurred Wednesday and Thursday, and according to Dan Beebe, the talks were "very positive". LINK

Such an alliance could make for a very lucrative television contract, particularly when taking some of the scheduling possibilities into consideration. Talk about made for TV games: Texas vs USC, OU vs USC, OU vs Oregon just to name a few.

And then there's this little nugget from a June 4th Deseret News article:

Combined, the Big 12 and Pac-10, as presently constituted, boast all 22 BCS automatic-qualifier schools west of the Mississippi River. Together, the two leagues make up 31 percent of the nation's TV markets. LINK

Were the Pac 10 'invites' a ruse to get something moving on the TV agreement? Is a Nebraska defection to the Big 10 a stumbling block? Was Texas AD DeLoss Dodds, who made the statement "We didn't start this - But if we need to finish it, we'll finish it", the one behind reportedly giving Nebraska a deadline to s*** or get off the pot? If Nebraska bugs out will it be curtains for the Big 12? Stay tuned and find out all this and more in upcoming episodes of Merger Mania.