I have some sympathy from Bowlsby because he can't force the college presidents to do what they don't want to. This is especially true with the undue influence Texas has over the Big 12. I really think being Big 12 commissioner is a no win job.
And from a BYU perspective, I suspect Neinas was the bigger issue. It seems to me that BYU had a lot more traction in the Big 12 into Neinas became the interim commissioner; there seemed to be a sudden shift. I have no solid info to base this on (seem to recall some rumors) but I strongly suspect that Neinas did not want BYU invited -- not sure if it is some type of anti-BYU bias or he just believed that the Big 12 had to move East.