Is would Thursday night ESPN college games be better matchups if there wasn't the NFL on the same night, as well as Tuesday night games, as well as additional Thursday night games on FOX.

i.e. if the spotlight were just on one game a week, would the bigger programs return. My thought is yes, but it's kind of a pointless thought experiment because the money is there to be made. Same logic behind why playoffs will almost always expand, NBA/MLB season will never shorten, etc.