I get it if a program gets an invite and the entrance fee is $1MM or $2MM, but $17 fucking million is insane. I don't even know where the money is from because they're not really a cash cow.
As it is now, mid major FBS is a shitty wasteland. No one is a major program, so they're all constantly scratching around for money and constantly begging for NIL $ is driving alumni and even coaches away.
We've been in that FBS area. It really sucked. A couple random bowl games against meaningless teams with no playoff excitement.
Having said that, I do miss playing peer schools like Nevada and Wyoming, but we can easily get them for OOC.