A decision about expanding the Big Ten might be months away, but e-mail conversations indicate that the University of Texas is an object of the conference's attention. And the school's athletic director isn't making a commitment to stay in the Big 12.

Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee sent an e-mail to Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany on April 20 saying that he had spoken with Texas President William Powers.

"I did speak with Bill Powers at Texas, who would welcome a call to say they have a 'Tech' problem," Gee wrote in an e-mail that was among several obtained by The Dispatch through a public-records request for documents and correspondence related to Big Ten expansion proposals.

Texas Tech is one of Texas' rivals in the Big 12 conference. Ohio State officials declined a Dispatch request to explain the "Tech" problem.

"Public record laws do not require us to provide further clarification on meaning," OSU spokeswoman Amy Murray said in an e-mail. "While a few of the e-mails are cryptic, we aren't obliged to provide additional explanation."

Although speculation about the Big Ten's interest in Texas has been widespread in the 51/2 months since the conference announced it would consider expansion, the e-mail is rare evidence of communication between the school and a high-ranking Big Ten representative.

Texas and Texas Tech are two of three state-sponsored schools from Texas in the Big 12. The other is Texas A&M.

Texas and Texas A&M are members of the Association of American Universities, a prestigious alliance of research-minded universities. Texas Tech is not. The Big Ten has made it clear that AAU membership is important for prospective members, with Notre Dame an exception because of its excellent academic reputation.

Although Texas Tech has had athletic success in recent years, it is considered a notch below Texas and Texas A&M athletically. After last season, Texas Tech endured an ugly firing of successful football coach Mike Leach amid allegations that he mistreated players.

Don Hale, Texas' vice president for public affairs, said he did not think the three Texas schools had a legal commitment to be in the same conference. But he said the Texas Legislature may apply pressure for that to happen.

"I think it's a political issue," he said yesterday. "Because they're state institutions, I think the concern is that one can't move without the others."

Shortly after Hale's comment, Rivals.com reported that multiple sources indicated that the Pacific-10 is prepared to invite Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado to join its league.

Gee's initial e-mail to Delany on April 19 said that he is "of the mind that we control our destiny at the moment, but the window will soon close on us. Agility and swiftness of foot is our friend."

That e-mail was a day after Delany addressed the Association of American Universities meetings in Washington, D.C. Expansion was expected to have been on the agenda.

In the same e-mail, Gee commended Delany on his "brilliant presentation."

Minutes after Gee sent the e-mail, Delany replied with a thank-you note.

"We are fast-tracking it but need to know the $ and observe contracts," Delany wrote. "Also need to make sure we leverage this to increase chances of hr additions. Finally double chess # of moving parts including not harming brand as we executy."

In baseball, HR means home run. In the Big Ten, the addition of Texas would certainly qualify. The Longhorns have the only college athletic program that earns more revenue than Ohio State. Texas' revenue for the 2008-2009 school year was $138.4 million, nearly $20million more than Ohio State.

The Longhorns have elite football and basketball programs, and Texas is considered a top-tier academic institution.

For Texas A&M, the allure of the Big Ten would be largely financial. The Big Ten Network has become a cash cow for member teams. Four years ago, Texas A&M's athletic programs were in such dire financial shape that the university loaned it $16 million.

Texas Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds did not douse speculation that the Longhorns could be leaving their conference when he spoke Wednesday at the Big 12 conference meetings in Kansas City.

Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe opened the meeting with a plea for the league members to stay together. But Dodds, whose school also could be a target for the Southeastern and Pacific-10 conferences, would not commit to that.

"You've known me for very long; I am not hanging back," Dodds said, according to the Associated Press. "I'm not waiting to see what other people are going to do. I'm going to know what our options are, so that's not going to change. My hope is that the Big 12 survives and you and I retire knowing it's a great conference. It's been very viable, and if it stays in place, it will continue to be very viable."

Dodds said Texas didn't start the talk about its possible departure from the Big 12.

"If we need to finish it, we'll finish it," he said. "We're going to be a player in whatever happens."

brabinowitz@dispatch.com