1. The old way of pinching pennies just wasn't tenable in the new Power 5 environment. With the money flowing into the conference--albeit, perhaps unsurprisingly, less than anticipated back when the conference secured the current media deal and expanded to 12 schools--we've seen huge steps up in facilities and other program resources (e.g., recruiting budgets), and in the capabilities/resumes of opposing coaches, at nearly all schools. We couldn't have tried to move forward as the only member of the conference without appropriate facilities and with the "old" Martin Stadium.
It just wouldn't have been tolerated for long, and the program would have had no shot at succeeding. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Scott, hired in 2010, had some off-the-record conversations with Moos in which he said, or at least strongly implied, that WSU needed to make the Martin Stadium improvements (approved by the BOR in 2011) and/or the FOB (approved in late 2012) in order to make sure its Pac-12 standing was secure.
(And no, I'm not saying there's any realistic concern about WSU's conference standing now, nor will there be in the foreseeable future. Tradition and WSU's status as a legit research university cut strongly in favor of it being maintained, and it making the investments it has made in its athletics programs has sealed the deal.)
2. Moos' investment in Leach is highly "illiquid," if you will. Let's say that Leach doesn't work out ... there are three or four more 3-9 or 4-8 seasons and Moos has no choice but to can him. I don't think you can indict Moos' entire tenure as an AD because he made a hire (lauded as a home run at the time, particularly to a destination that was particularly unattractive at the time) that ultimately didn't work out. Other than going back in time and not hiring a guy who had a ton of qualifications on paper, and seemed to be a good fit for various reasons, what would you have Moos do differently with regard to the football program? Leach's success (or lack thereof) will have a significant impact on how Moos' tenure is viewed, but I don't think it is the only thing that matters. I also don't know what else Moos could, or should, have done differently, should Leach ultimately not work out.