Did you actually read my post? Houston is now likely to be a top 5-7 team ALL SEASON. That's not going to help their case?
No question UH's on the field success is definitely helping their opportunities. Every sports writer and dumb Big12 fan will be screaming about adding the hottest program in America. We should give UH full credit. They are winning the big games and stepping up when they have opportunities. The UConn football program needs to match this intensity.
But ask yourself why was the Big12 considering expansion? Was it because their football programs were so weak? No, it was because the Big12 was falling behind in revenue in spite of their on the field success. Why were they falling behind in revenue? Because the Big12 has too small a geographic footprint with too much of their population base in Texas.
Does a UH addition provide more stability to the Big12? Will OU or UT agree to extend the GORs in return for UH being added? (FWIW as soon as either UT or OU says they will commit by signing extended GORs for a UH addition then UH is in but this has not publicly happened yet) Does UH increase the Big12's geographic footprint? If you ask Texans one can never own enough Texas but the Big12 is already testing that notion without UH. Will UH increase the academic rating/perception for the Big12? Will a UH add help attract new students to the Big12 schools? Will a UH addition provide new markets for viewership and growth? Will adding UH allow the Big12 to move toward a potential network or allow a bigger TV deal when the Big12 GORs expire? Will a UH addition allow UT to gain more control of the conference and insure it has enough minions to support its top dog status? Is UH the kind of university that other university presidents want to be associated with? Finally, are WVU, OSU, KSU, KU, and ISU prepared to compete/recruit with an equal status UH on the football field?
Personally I think UH is becoming the team the Big12 cannot publicly afford to pass on but cannot financially afford to select if they are part of a 2 team deal. IMO UH's football success only makes a 4 team addition more possible. UH has the "sizzle" but does not accomplish the other factors above...but a UConn, BYU, UC, and UH addition would meet all the marks.
The point is Big12 expansion is a lot more complicated than a pure football product and it is tough to predict how UH's football success will affect things...No question UH's football success is helping their candidacy but this does not mean it is necessarily hurting UConn's chances. This is not the same situation as Louisville and the ACC.