That's why I say the networks are the ones driving the bus and frankly, I think it is a weak position for these college administrators to take. TV networks are important partners of course, but you can't cede control of your sport as a whole to them.
TV execs don't care how the sport will look in 20 years, they just care how many viewers they'll get over the term of the contract. College football was easy pickings for them. The NCAA through its own mismanagement has wielded no power in the sport for quite some time. Instead of working together, the Power 5 conferences focused on poaching from each other to get the best TV deals to now they're at the point of possibly splitting 2 conferences to its own "league".
Is anyone looking at the realities of these decisions down the line? No matter how they try, college football is not the NFL. Over 80 FBS schools have been playing football for over a century now. These fanbases are set and are even more personally linked as many of the fans actually attended those schools. If they whittle it down to 48 teams, are they going to get the same viewership? I'm not sure. If Miami does not get into the P2 (God forbid), how many Miami fans are going to watch the P2 "league" when our favorite team will be playing in an entirely different level? Personally, I'm not going to have a rooting interest if that were to happen. Now multiply that by the 32 other schools left out. I'm **** sure not going to root for Florida or FSU in that situation.
What's a true shame is the 70 or so P5 schools could have worked together and offered what the TV networks are looking for without the seismic changes, but here we are.