What?!
The schools are the ones who did this!
The schools created the conferences and NCAA.
The schools made the conferences huge and untenable.
The schools chased the tv money from CCGs and expanded playoffs.
The schools fucked the SA's since the inception of college football.
Not blaming the schools who are responsible for every aspect this monster is crazy.
To be honest, it speaks to the phenomenal communication job they've done in convincing fans that all this shit just...happened.
Sure, the schools are the conferences and the conferences are the schools, and together they created the system that got us here. I'm aware.
I guess what I mean is I don't necessarily blame the current athletic directors and coaches at places like Bama and Texas, who are paid a whole lot of money to do one very specific thing (make the playoffs and then advance as far as possible), and will be quickly replaced if they do not succeed at that. Dropping games like us is a totally logical response to what they've seen unfold over the last couple of seasons.
It's a little different in USC's case because of the history and because the Notre Dame game means more to many of their fans than their actual conference games do. But for a Bama or Texas, playing us in September is just a fun appetizer for the season that actually matters, and I can see why they might decide it's not worth the risk of losing and replace us with North Texas or whoever. The fact that it screws us and offers a less-appealing product to their fans are secondary concerns.