The B12 pre season ranked teams flopped. Using this year’s result to justify forever is too narrow to draw conclusions for that reason. If you don’t believe me, expand your analysis and look in prior years.
I hate preseason rankings. Wish nothing would happen for five games. Of all things that move the committee needle to stupid, that is it.
Either way, IMO, 16 teams and no CCG (particularly with round robin 18 member conferences) is superior to what we have now.