I tend to agree with you. If BYU wants in, and everything they've said in the past year indicates that they do, then I can't for any reason, other than some sort of misguided uneasy feeling towards the Mormon faith, for the B12 to pass on them. National brand, huge fanbase following and very good football credibility.
Cincinnati seems to be a shoe-in as a travel partner for WVU. They'd bring a good football recruiting territory, good program and decent hoops too.
The thing that UCONN does have going for it is our location. If FOX really wants more of a eastern presence, then it would be very tough for them to want to pass up the 1st, 7th and 30th DMAs in the country. While our football program definitely is struggling (I'm being nice) right now, it will, at some point, turn around. The fact that we have conference history with WVU might help too. Folks in Morgantown remember the years of 40K crowds at the Rent. Plus, I'll always have a soft spot for them for the class they showed after Jasper Howard's passing. Texas rules that roost, but our established relationship with WVU may come in handy if FOX/B12 wants to move east and they want to establish a few schools closer to WVU.
If I was Commissioner Bowlsby, I would add: BYU, Cincinnati, UCONN and UCF. With those 4, the B12 would bring the two most profitable and marketable ADs in the G5 in BYU and UCONN along with two good recruiting states for football in Cincinnati and UCF. Cincinnati gives WVU an easy travel partner. UCONN and BYU become the conference outliers but that's okay because our presence in the conference would allow for scheduling northeast venues for football and/or hoops. BYU has a national following so their distance from Texas can be made up for by the money they'd bring to the conference once they figure out a way to roll in BYUTV (or whatever they call it). Also, going from 10 to 14 puts them on equal footing with the ACC and scoops up the "next best" back fill options for that conference should any school challenge its GoR and leave in a few years. In one fell swoop, they would add good football, revenue adding athletic programs, good hoops, and big TV markets while protecting their long term stability.
Of course, I don't think this will happen. Bowlsby strikes me as a modern-day Marianatto. I think the entire country knew that the B12 was going to be shut out of the Playoff this season but there they were, insisting up until the bitter end, that their round robin co-champion format is "just as good" at determining a champion as every other conference (who answers the question ON THE FIELD with another marquee game). I wouldn't be surprised if the B12 digs their stubborn and stupid heels in the quicksand and stumbles on with 10...until they are poached by another conference and have to disband. We've all been saying for YEARS that the B12 needs to expand and establish a CCG. If I (and millions of college football fans everywhere) am able to forecast the weaknesses of the B12 better than the Commissioner of the friggin' conference can, then that doesn't instill too much confidence in that man's ability to grow and protect the conference's interests going forward.