Reagan didn’t have such a large field to clear out first. Reagan’s move looked like desperation as well at the time.
My point is that Reagan was only 4% or so behind Ford. 1976 was a competitive race, this year is not even close. Cruz trails Trump by 400 delegates and millions of votes. Cruz and Trump had the same size field to contend with, the difference is that Trump was able to deal with it and Cruz was not. Cruz looks more like a tool for the establishment every day he stays in. I think it will cost him when he runs for reelection in 2018.