And why are some people acting like this is some unprecedented action taken by the NCAA.

Back in the day, there used to be no scholarship limitations. And coaches like, oh who was it? Oh yeah, Bear Bryant used that to his advantage and signed players just so his competitors couldn't. That was seen as an unfair advantage, so the NCAA stepped in and leveled the playing field with the 85 scholarship rule.

Innovation and pushing the boundaries can be a good thing but when those innovations aren't available to everyone - IE it being against the conference rules of the SEC and ACC - then it's an unfair advantage.

Even stupid innovations get clipped; like when Chizik was at Auburn and did his cheesy "Tiger Prowl" routine and multiple coaches showed up at schools in limos and stretch Hummers and goofy shirts. The NCAA outlawed it because they anticipated the use of "showier vehicles" and also limited the number of coaches from one school that can visit at the same time to two.

Those are just two instances where the NCAA looked at the slippery slope on recruiting innovations and stepped in before they became a giant circus.