It's a done deal now, and a shame. Reading this, it seems obvious to me our presidents really didn't understand the changing media landscape, and GK didn't push back hard enough on the idea we were worth more. I think for years the leaders at the top of the PAC have never accepted that football is the main economic driver; we kept hearing about Olympic sports, which are fine, but don't generate income. 
Really pretty amazing there was not a sense of urgency as soon as U$C/UCLA left.

Duckball wrote:

It comes as no surprise that the conference was incompetent on several layers. 

To even hear stories about it just makes me nauseous.

I keep telling myself that in 5 years, college football will realize they messed up bad and the country will go back to their traditional regions. And that there will be some type of single "College league" that will have divisions based on these regions ala the NFL with equal distribution of the coverage and revenues. And ONE freaking commissioner!

Pie in the sky? Maybe. Too NFL'ish? Yeah. But I think I'd like that better than playing in the freaking Big 10!

I just don't understand how these scattered conferences will survive for any length of time.


 

They cannot survive the long haul.  The networks give zero shits about minor sports, they only want football and basketball broadcast rights.  AD's are going to go nuts as travel costs soar thru the roof- flying and lodging ain't getting any cheaper...  And players will eventually defect from programs due to the massive drain on their time and energy to juggle classes and training and traveling.  

The only way this is fixed is as you say- that college football divorce itself from the traditional conference format into a national league broken out regionally with a unifying body to regulate the game.  Then schools can re-engage in restoration of traditional conference alignments again for the betterment of the student-athletes.