The SEC is more brand balanced. Half of the league is blue bloods.Notice you didn’t mention the SEC though.
When the conference is struggling either on the field or with media dollars then I totally agree with you that those situations can go sideways quickly. That point though is also why Big Ten fans dismiss those statements as the money is already at the top and the on field performance is currently at the top as well.
If all of a sudden the big ten was 3/4th in money or getting regularly crushed in the playoffs then yeah that would be a real problem. But we’re a long ways away from that happening if it ever does
I do think eventually they will also do a similar thing. Texas and OU resented subsidizing us. Why wouldn’t they feel the same about Vanderbilt and Miss St?