Sure it sucks being in the MWC when our rival goes to a P5 conference, but after shellacking all the teams in the MWC, and making some appearances in big bowls the odds of an invite to a P5 would have gone up dramatically. We also could have still used our OOC games each year to play some big programs to prove we fit.
Looks at programs like Boise. Or in basketball Gonzaga. Winning begets winning and national respect. I fear decades of being a respected and feared program have gone down the toilet now.