I've never bought that "competing against NFL" stuff. You're already competing against the NFL for eyeballs, attention, energy, $$. But they play on different days, so it's fine, and still will be fine in the future. Plus the NFL likes not having to run a minor league, and it gives a large platform to their players before they enter the league.
You literally don't have to change anything. You don't have to change the name of the league or the composition of the conferences or anything. The fans are already built in. It'll still say UConn on the jersey, people will still be all about it.