re: Big TV betting on Consolidation in NCAAF

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how do you expect this to happen?
Are they going to be interested in a 4-4 Texas playing 5-3 Alabama, or 9-3 OSU play 8-4 Michigan?

If you replace the easy wins on the schedule, and every game is a fairly even matchup, then you know what you get? an NFL schedule where most teams will fall between 7-10 wins. If all of the games are marquee games, then none of them are. Is a KC/Cincy regular season game must watch tv? sure if its on sunday night when the casual fan will watch whover is playing regardless. But am i going to make sure i'm near a tv to watch KC/Cincy at 3? no. If they play at 3 in the playoffs, then yeah i'm watchign.
Is this really that difficult to understand?

the regular season matters, or at least it did. it's why all SEC fans will tune into any game where Bama or UGA or OSU or Michigan is about to lose to Miss St, or Kentucky, or Minnesota, or Purdue.
You get a text from a buddy "hey Miss State about to beat Bama". so you stop what you're doing and go find a tv or pull it up on your phone so you can watch them lose.
What drives viewership for those big teams is the smaller teams that hate them and want to see them lose, much like why the Cowboys have such high viewership, b/c people want to see them lose.

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I really appreciated these thoughts. A good analysis in my opinion. I also think that part of what could happen that looks like what you are describing is that teams that would have looked bullet proof in their own smaller conference are going to get exposed by the concentration. This level of contraction could really put a fine point on varying levels of the sport. We may discover, for instance, that Oregon looked great in the PAC 12 but are overmatched against much of the BIG whatever it is. Let's take it to something that subverts expectations though, what if we discover that OU is much worse playing in the SEC but Texas' brand of football fares much better. It's going to be interesting, but I'm not sure we will all be better for it. More brand name matchups is in theory good. If it makes everyone mediocre by record, though, it will just be the NFL with the potential to run an option play every now and again.

And nary a new fan will be reaped by it. I actually think broadcasters are counting on consistently capturing the existing audiences with competitive games, not really making a whole new audience. I can tell an ad buyer that eyes will be around a lot longer for Oregon and Michigan State than they will be for Oregon and South West Missouri State.