It's not a matter of Conference/No Conference.
It is a matter of "What Conference" and doing everthing in your power to stand out.
BYU would have never gone back to the WAC or back to the Mountain West.
For UL, being independent can generate more money than SunBelt membership, but being independent can't generate more money than being in the Big-12.
You don't go independant to live there forever, and you don't go there out of dire straights. You go there to make more money, set yourself apart, get noticed, become first on everyone's lips, when it comes to conference expansion.
Administrators view it as to much work, that's why it will never happen and that's why you can't trust what an administrator says on the subject. They will never admit they love the conference scheduling Wednesday night games for them more than they love putting in the effort.
Being in a high paying conference is the ultimate goal. Not a conference that pays you $333,333 for a home game.