How to reform the system? I'd begin by insisting on a full round robin, with no divisions and no conference playoff. And cut college football back to the traditional ten game schedule. Then institute the national championship playoff that should have been adopted decades ago: an eight team playoff with five or six automatic bids to the major conference champions; conference champions only, with no second or third place teams; two or three spots left for the top independents or minor conference champions.
The conferences would slim down to something approximately their traditional sizes, and I'd bet that the old regional commonalities would reassert themselves pretty quickly.
Since the colleges show no signs of kicking their addiction to tv dollars, none of this is likely to happen. TV has corrupted almost everything it touches. I'd be happy to abolish college scholarships, return all sports to a club level, and tell the NFL to run its own farm system.
Northwestern is in Chicago, and has a student body of 25,000 students. That makes it about twice the size of Notre Dame, and the Big 10’s anchor in Chicago. And it has a long, long, long association with the Big 10. The fact that it never became a power has more to say about their presence of ethics and academic standards than their lack of sufficient student body or market.
Although I would say that if the Big East football conference hadn’t been torn apart by 12-team rule for playoffs, Northwestern may have been a comfortable fit. Of it hadn’t been for their football program, they might have formed a great conference with Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Louisville, Saint Louis, Dayton, Marquette, DePaul, etc.
I’d also suggest they should form a round-robin basketball tournament like the Philly 5 or the Boston Beanpot, with Notre Dame, DePaul, Loyola, Marquette, Northern Illinois, Valparaiso, etc.