You already said it, a relatively uncontested LZ and the farther away the more it favors the V-22. Keep in mind PR is not just CSAR. I'm not saying a V-22 is an appropriate replacement for the 60, but it fits very well into the Air Force's core function of PR it just happens to be in AFSOC which means it's masters consider it a SOF asset, not a PR asset.
But had nothing to do with why the GAO upheld the protest, the AF fucked up their accounting based on what they said in the RFP. The UH-60 is a medium lift aircraft, the combat ready HH-60G really isn't.