This. If you are a SMU, or any Big East team, foregoing earnings practically means foregoing your current five to $10 million earnings in order to get a bigger payday down the road. I wonder if you could reach out to other relationships, and our instance IMG/Leerfield or Nike, to see if your current brand value increases in a bigger conference thus making up, or at least reducing the differential. I guess that would depend on whether there is a change of conference out clause.
But, yeah, if you are giving up say $5 million in the big east or $10 million in the American but getting a $15 million share of college football playoff money, you are coming out ahead.
I don't like the "feel" of saying "hey we will be a member of your conference for nothing", but I see the thought process behind it.