The money each school gets from conference TV deals helps offset the cost of the Title IX sports. These in the red sports such as soccer, lacrosse, baseball, volleyball and other sports beyond football and in some cases basketball need facilities, coaches, scholarships and travel and have a significant cost. They eat dramatically into the athletics budget at the expense of money generating sports. So a move to the BIG X helps offset these costs, which in the end allow a school to be more competitive in all sports including money generating sports. UofM ranks in the top 30 of Sears Cup, while SU ranks around 50. SU is at a disadvantage because it is a relatively small private institution with a billion dolar endowment. For comparison, Duke has a 4-5 billion dolar endowment. Stanford has a significanlty larger endowment and can afford to compete well in all sports thus ranks near the top of the Sears Cup each year. So, yep it is about money, which in turn feeds the need to be competitive in all sports which benefits the money generating sports, and ultimately attracts a better qualified student body. Just my unsupported thesis for the day.