The Big Ten (or 11 with Penn State) has been talking expansion for months, but the debate would be which school would be the best fit.

Should they add one team? Or would three make more sense?

After many scuffled at the talk of Texas fleeing the Big 12 to join Big Ten, it now appears like at least a possibility.

The Lawrence Journal-World out of Kansas reported today that a source with ties to the Big Ten said that while most people’s attention has been trained on the conference stealing Missouri, the Big Ten has engaged in “preliminary exchanges” with a much bigger fish from the Big 12.

“There have been preliminary exchanges between the Big Ten and Texas,” the source told the paper on Wednesday. “People will deny that, but it’s accurate.”

What would have seemed impossible just a few years back, has been changed by the Big Ten Network.

Per St. Louis Business Journal the Big 12 doled out $103 million in revenue during the academic year that ended June 30, 2008, according to the most recent Internal Revenue Service filings available. The conference disburses some of its money based on the number of television appearances each school makes. Texas led the way with $10.2 million.

The Big Ten, by comparison, passed along nearly $207 million to its members in 2008. Each member school received about $18.8 million. Accounting for a 12th school, the disbursements would still top $17 million each. That number is estimated to grow to more than $20 million this year, even accounting for a 12th school, as the Big Ten television revenue continues to increase from various rights agreements and its 51 percent ownership of the new Big Ten Network.

By adding the Longhorns the Big Ten would hit a homerun and Texas has already proved over and over that money talks.  It will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.

College Football, College Hoops big ten, texas longhorns, big ten expanison, big 12