TCU had a good run some years back, and for some reason the sports media favorably latched onto them. Obviously they are not a helmet school, but they have obtained some helmet value in the Patterson reign. If they don't hold to same level of performance however, they will drop off the stage like a rock.
UH is a love/hate thing. One minute they are winning some games, drawing a decent crowd, fielding some good players, etc. The next minute you find yourself sitting in Minute Maid surrounded by empty bleachers and a damn train horn going off into the dead silence.
You hate to add UH to a conference because they can embarrass the hell out of you on a moment's notice.
I think TCU is getting a lot of semi-helmet respect based on belief in their coaching staff's competence and consistency. Maybe sort of like KSU did in the early 2000s when Snyder had them running well? Even with some bad teams sprinkled in there, everyone knew that Snyder was a very good coach, working with less talent but coaching them up, and would typically be a tough out for anyone on their schedule. It seems like TCU is currently viewed similarly.
Houston hasn't had the consistent coaching, so they're not getting the consistent fan support, nor are they getting any BOTD from the mediots.
As long as Patterson stays, TCU will remain a decent program. But long term, I don't think either one is a "better add" than the other, because unless they find another Patterson, TCU will always be a stepping-stone program, and quite obviously that's what Houston is, as well.
From a booster perspective, TCU has always had the more "monied" boosters, because it's a legacy situation of generational wealth, while Houston is a commuter school. So TCU typically had more power in the state legislature than Houston did. That speaks to how TCU is able to play in the power-political circles of Texas, while UH has usually struggled to do so.
Anecdotally, of the 4 UH grads I know well, 3 of them root for other Texas teams that they grew up pulling for (1 Texas, 1 A&M, 1 Tech) because they only went to Houston out of necessity/convenience. The 4th one is extremely wealthy and a large Houston supporter, but I just don't know how much strong fan/booster support Houston will ever be able to generate since so many of its grads seem to identify with other schools as their primary fanship.
Just some of my observations anyway.
