Ego to me has been what has prevented the colleges from making effective decisions about the direction of college athletics and what has made them easy prey for the networks.
The entire joke that college athletics is an amateur sport has been a joke for years and trying to force that idea of the schools, conferences, NCAA, and athletes is largely why we find ourselves where we are right now and not the money.
Money has definitely played a part, but when ATM made Jackie the first $1M head coach that wasn't because that is what it cost for a quality hire no more than Jimbo's contract or than Bama is paying Kalen DeBoer $10M+.
You have kids in college who come back to their schools and talk about how their facilities in the NFL are less than their college and they don't have all the other little things. Those aren't truly needed in college, that is all about perception and bravado and hype.
Ego is also getting in the way of schools trying to compete. Perfect example, there is a debate among the TCU community/alums that in order for TCU to have any chance of getting an invite we have to expand (or actually build one in some people's opinion) the research side of TCU because that is a factor that will academically appeal to the decision makers on TCU's behalf.
All bullshit in my mind. If TCU wants to grow research more power to those who are behind the growth and fund the growth. However, does any truly believe that if somehow magically TCU became a leader in whatever area of academic research that we are going to be included in whatever this future conglomeration is going to be regardless of the number of eyeballs we bring to the equation? NO!!!!
So why the push? In large part because the academics and alums behind the push want to be known as a school about research and academics and not athletics. Worrying what people think of you is nothing more than ego.