While greener pastures lie beyond the Big 12 minus OU and UT, we still have solid football programs. Baylor, ISU, K-State, Ok State, TCU and WV have had national success in the last 10 years. KU and Texas Tech have had national success in the last 15 years. ISU, K-State, Ok State, WV and Texas Tech have above average fan bases. TCU and Baylor have decent fanbases that bring something to the table. For the losing that they have endured, KU's fan base has still somewhat stuck around.
It's because we have solid programs that we think we can move to stronger conferences.