B1G powerhouses went into NJ and took players every year. They didn't need to add Rutgers to the B1G to do that. Giving NJ recruits the option of playing in the B1G and staying at home instead of having to leave the state to play at the P5 level didn't help those schools recruit NJ it made it harder.
B1G teams can only offer NJ recruits the opportunity to play in their home state 2 or 3 times during their college career, rather than 6 times a season.
This idea that schools like OSU, Nebraska, Michigan, MSU, Wisconsin, Penn St., Iowa, etc, etc needed (or even wanted) Rutgers on the schedule to help them recruit NJ is so ridiculous I can't believe any reasonably intelligent person would make that argument.
There was one reason. TV money.
It's no different with UConn. If we were a P5, recruits would have more reason to play for UConn, not less. Recruits would be more likely to stay home rather than go to BC, Cuse, Pitt, Penn St, Michigan (all schools that now have or have had top CT talent on their roster)