This is what Pollard and about 30-50 ADs of the non-blue blood programs should have pushed for long ago. This result was so obviously inevitable, but they completely blew it.
Clinging to the obviously dying amateurism model to avoid paying some stipends and benefits, which would've been hard but possible, would have retained some regulation and ISU and schools like it would've been able to remain reasonably competitive. It would've been hard, but it was certainly possible.
Thinking at all in the last couple years that A) the amateurism environment of old had ANY chance of survival and B) that ISU has any chance of remaining relevant with a full athletic department in the post-amateurism world is complete idiocy and incompetence.
This is true, but in fairness to all the non-blue bloods...
a) I am sure they were scared of more expenses and/or reduced donations as money flowed to players,
b) would have been hard to really believe this could happen this bad this fast,
c) all the big boys WANTED this to happen to crucify the competition, so the little guys would have been swimming upstream against that too.
Big windmill to tilt at for the AD of ISU, Northwestern, Virginia Tech, et al.