CB spent an afternoon weeping and gnashing teeth because nebulous references to us as a "P5 sort of" are the only thing we have to go on to validate our own relevance as an Independent.
The only thing that has changed in the CFB landscape is $$. The P5s have way more than they ever did before and everyone else is lagging. There has always been haves and have-nots. In fact, one could argue that we would have more access as a have-not than we ever have in the past.