I agree. Adding Houston was dumb as it gets. Dumber yet is that the former SWC members know (or should know) that being so regionalized was one of the biggest death blows to the SWC.
Lack of National interest outside of UT, which saw plenty of it's games getting bumped to regional coverage.Especially when playing 1-4 Baylor or 2-3 TCU or 0-5 Owls. SMU getting its pony shot in the head, aggy on National TV and Bowl ban for major violations. (if I remember right, there were a couple of other members on minor probation also the last few years of the SWC). All this added together had the SWC falling way behind the other conferences in National media $s and more and more Texas talent was leaving the state to go play somewhere they would get more National exposure (key back then if hoping for the NFL as a late rounder)... The same issues (non cheating) that plagued the SWC yesterday are the same issues that has UT and OU leaving today.
I would've added Arkansas bailing for greener pastures as another nail for the SWC, but in fairness, they only left when they did as political cover for Texas and aggy, who had every intention of following them into the SEC 2 years later. "We tried, but an all Texas conference isn't feasible, so it's every man for himself".
But something went wrong between the SEC 'wigs and the Texas two (mainly UT-Deloss). I've never been able to pin down exactly what took place, but whatever happened was bad enough, it took over 2 decades of leadership changes within UT (and for the mouse to spit shine the SEC enough to make it too enticing not to give it a go) before there was a snowball's chance in hell of us joining the SEC.
Things should start to get interesting sometime next year. We should start to hear if Amazon, Google, Netflix, AT&T... Are going to make a move or not. And the Pac negotiations should be starting towards summer's end 2023. This Pac negotiation round has a good chance of setting off the powder keg for real.