To quote the quintessential American, Benjamin Franklin, "we must all hang together, or surely we will all hang separately"
I am struck by all the post on the many Boards on how everyone, including us, feels deserving and entitled to gain in the game of conference realignment. Whether we want a better Mid-Major Conference, TCU campaigns for BCS status or BCS schools fight for revenue, while the balance tries to control costs; self-interest has been the guidepost.
This attitude, if not confronted now by the majority who seek a more rational or, at least, a bit more equitable model, will further accelerate the creation of a caste system of have's and have not's.
If TCU fails to internalize that their best long term interest is leading or following the more rational, regional approach into the future, they will be on the out's when their position with the limitations of being a private school handicaps them against state schools.
Second, schools like ours do not and will not have long term entitlement to success. We have to constantly work at it. Except for two dozen large BCS schools, sustaining periodic success is the hardest part.
So Ben, your advice needs to be heard by everyone, especially the non-BCS and BCS wantabees. If the BCS cartel gets it's way, we will all be locked into a permanent condition that no one can reasonably assume to get out.