BYU's title hopes took a hit last night. But I disagree, because much like their last Nat'l Title run... they just need peices to fall into place. Ranked in the top 20, beat a top team, then have a couple big games yet to play. They could have faced a top 15 team in FSU. Then you have other peices - OSU/USC knocking one off, OSU/PSU potentially, UT/OkSU, UF/Bama, USC/Cal. Just by those losses alone that would move them into the top five. Again, for BYU to get a shot like they did back then, same thing has to happen - a perfect puzzle, which is not all that hard to see happening from recent memory - and from their remaining schedule of FSU/TCU/Utah they could have had 3 ranked team wins. I think from your post you are bringing a consistency argument, which I think for programs like BYU just aren't there. Utah and Boise might say otherwise to my argument, but I think programs like those won't be able to stay up there consistently, maybe one or two years, then drop off, then come back for another small run.
If FSU had won last night, I think BYU actually had a good outside shot of making the title game this season because their biggest threat they just took out. (Then of course you would probably see them tore apart in the title game, but they'd be there )
Not in the near future, but at some point I see every major conference going to 12 teams for the extra millions of conference championships. Which would see the "Pac-12" basically have their pick of two west coast programs to come in (I would think one would be reserved for Fresno State). But in theory I think they - MWC w/ BSU - could be just as strong as the Big East (although they are starting to perform a lot better w/ even more teams coming along like UConn).
It's not really a rebuttle as much as just explaining why they take/make the games. The D-1A school gets an extra home game with millions in revenue, while the D-1AA school gets a sizeable check to help expand their program and doesn't hurt them in their respective division.
100% the coaches do. And I have known some of the players and they love it, because they get a chance to play on those big time fields against top level talent and challenge themself against the best. So they aren't against the games either. I would venture to say 95% of the "stories" I've heard from them have been postitive about the experience of stepping on the field(s) of those programs and experiencing what it was like. But yeah, the coaches (at least a majority) do give a "flying fuck" about that large paycheck.