It’s a tale as old as time. For as long as College Athletics have been around, money is king. And chasing money has led programs, administrators, coaches, boosters, and virtually everyone associated with high-level collegiate athletics to make decisions largely motivated by money.
“But Sam,” you say, “Aren’t most of the decisions made in a quest to win?” And I’d reply, “100%, you are right! But because winning means more and more money!”
Conference realignment was really small-time stuff for many years. It was a trickle. A team would move here, realign there. But for the most part, things stayed pretty static.