I understand that TV drives the bus. I think the infatuation with a school being in a large market without any looking under the hood is silly. What should matter for TV execs, advertisers, and conference realignment is how many people are actually tuning in to a team’s game, not where the school is located. USU is far from the worst TV draw in this league despite being in piddly Logan, UT.
https://medium.com/run-it-back-with-zach/which-college-football-programs-were-the-most-watched-in-2022-94eca4f6acbd
https://medium.com/run-it-back-with-zach/which-college-football-programs-were-the-most-watched-in-2021-49ef4f315858