After tearing up the hearts of listeners nationwide, N’SYNC may be calling it quits.

The band, factory-made and produced, wants to stop its “best ever” success and go their separate ways.

Justin Timberlake wants to give N’SYNC the big Bye, Bye, Bye. That leaves a world full of teens without their greatest show on earth. Timberlake, who is rumored to have been dating pop goddess Britney Spears this past year, reportedly decided that he can make a bigger solo career. Instead he’s going to find himself standing in the same “Where are they now?” lobby as former stars Jason Newsted and possibly Zach De La Roca.

There has to be some truth behind this rumor.

Theory 1: Timberlake thinks he will have a better future as a solo, or possibly duet, artist. If Timberlake leaves N’SYNC and teams up for a album with Spears, it will be like Yoko Ono breaking up the Beatles of the new generation. Tons of teeny-boppers will never be able to forgive her for what she did to their favorite band.

N’SYNC is popular for selling danceable songs and crappy love tunes. Timberlake doesn’t have the talent to do it himself.

Even if his first solo record does manage to sell, there is no way it could break the $67 million N’SYNC brought in last year. If Timberlake actually had shown that he has the ability to write his own music, then he would have a legitimate reason for leaving.

Theory 2: His (oh, dare I say it) ego, is getting in the way.

This is somewhat realistic. Timberlake is the prima donna of the group. He is the most popular one and also has the best single-name recognition.

Sounds like a similar tale.

At its up-and-coming prime, Guns N’ Roses gave the ax to drummer Steven Adler. Band members said his drug use was growing too intense, and he could no longer participate. The band, now on the rebound after years of reclusion, all went through similar and worse problems to Adler during the future glory. But many fans still feel that their first album is by far the best work they have produced. If this is the direction N’SYNC is headed, then who knows what could lie in store for J.C. and company.

Theory 3: The band just can’t hack it anymore. This option may be the best bet.

The boy-band era is said to be the fad of 2000, while girl groups like Dream will be the next wave of entertainment. If this is true, then Timberlake could be doing the best thing for himself.

De La Roca thinks he is going to be able to make it big with a new group. He also left Rage Against the Machine at a time when it was at its peak popularity, much like N’SYNC is right now. Leaving a popular band can be done. Sting left the Police and made a great solo career for himself. It can be done but not in Timberlake’s case.

Timberlake never has proven himself anything but a boy-band dancer. The last person who left a boy band and really made it big was an exception. When this success story left this Motown quintet to chase after dreams of a solo career, there was a large group who didn’t think it was possible for him to succeed.

He just may have been the best performer ever. He was Michael Jackson & and Justin Timberlake sure isn’t any sort of stud like that.

Theory 4: The alleged breakup has something to do with the allegations that Timberlake verbally assaulted one of his fans. According to a December Associated Press story, when the singer and his bandmates returned to screaming fans at a hotel one evening, Timberlake got into a shouting match with one of his junior-high followers. The girl said that she liked J.C. better than Timberlake. An irate Timberlake then (I’m not making this up) ordered his bodyguard to bring the girl up to his floor. While there, he allegedly verbally harassed the girl for her comment.

If this is true, then aside from Timberlake becoming the champ of all champs, he has tarnished the band’s image. This could be something, guilty or not, that has a big impact on how the band is viewed by its fans. It also could be something that puts Justin Timberlake on a little black list with Eminem as the person parents least want to let their kids see. This may be the most logical of the theories because it is the only one that can be somewhat proven.

And five years from now, if he’s lucky, Timberlake still will be inside the public eye. He’s got a shot to be the bird on the Eagleman insurance commercials. There will be room for Britney, too. Somebody’s going to need to be Eaglewoman, Eagleman’s female companion, so Spears just might be in luck as well.