While all of yours and others argument makes perfect sense on the surface there is one huge factor that you are not figuring into the equation. P4 schools are now having to find 20 million dollars to pay football and basketball players. This will not be easy even for the big dogs when you also add in the money they are paying out on the settlement for the House decision. They will cut wherever they can. Those 17 scholarships they just cut from xc and track are probably being moved over to football so that they don't have to fund more money.