re: Whats holding USCe and A&M Back?

The real problem is a bunch of the schools want to be great and will spend the money to be great. It just isn't statistically possible for there to be eight great teams unless they lower how many conference games there are. The only real outlier would be to get a great coach and that just isn't likely if everyone is trying to do it. To top it off a great coach will probably want to eventually coach at a historically great school.

If you aren't historically great it is a nearly an absolute crapshoot to become great. Even then it can be tough, look at Nebraska. Even Alabama has wandered the wilderness at times.