There has never been one single person who would actually know who has said that BYU was ever close to getting a B12 offer. On the other hand, plenty of credible people have said that BYU was never close to getting a B12 offer.

You're comparing wishful thinking with reality and complaining that reality isn't as good as the fantasy. You call BYU foolish to go independent, but that was the only reasonable option to take at the time. You then complain about coaching and on-field performance but give no reason why those things would be better in the AAC or MWC.

The sad truth is that BYU is a very unique place which makes it very difficult to attract top players and coaches regardless of conference affiliation. P5 would probably help some with that, but being a G5 school would do nothing.