If I remember correctly, it was the NCAA's ruling that a conference can have a conference FB championship game if they have 12 FB programs. School Prz's and ADs saw dollar signs and began to raid other conferences to get to that 12 team total to get that magic game and it's associated TV money. Then came the fricken BCS. Everyone wanted to make sure they had a viable FB conference to ensure they'd get those auto BCS bowl bids and the dollars that came with them, and decided, H*ll, why not go and get more teams to ensure we'll keep that boatload of money streaming in for years.
Once this began to happen the BE was f*ed due to it's FB/BB and BB only mix of members and getting the few that were good in FB (VT, UM and eventually WV & Pitt) cherry picked from the conference. Due to the makeup of the BE it was hard to hold it together and what we see now was inevitable.
I still think that the BCS Conferences that have the highest level FB/BB, just might break away from the NCAAs and gobble up the majority of the TV money amongst themselves, leaving the lessor programs that are either in a non-automatic BCS bid conference or don't play big time FB at all in the dust.
Some have cursed UConn for going big time FB. Though it might have been too little too late, it was what was needed. They just couldn't build up and sustain a high level quick enough. I'm not a big college FB fan (more an NFL fan) but I must admit I was surprised at how good Coach E was able to build the program and became relatively competitive in what seemed like a short period of time. Granted we were never close to being a national contender, but I had my doubts that they could even be competitive with middle of the road major conference teams.
The timing simply couldn't have been worse for both the Men's BB and FB teams being down either with on the field/court performance or in the press (men's program just couldn't get their dirty laundry out of it!).
Getting back to the main point, the NCAA got this large poop rolling down the hill when they established that 12 FB program floor to hold a conf championship. That's what IMO started what we are now witnessing now.
I knew things might get messy a couple years ago when the movement started to get more frequent, but I must admit, I didn't think the BE would go from the premier hoops conference w/ UConn as the NC two years ago to its inevitable demise by the end of this season.
I feel an overall numbness to all this. It must be some sort of sports fandom shock or something. Hum...will my HMO cover any treatment for it?