College football, like most industries in America, is ruled by money.
This is not news to anyone.
Neither is all of this: The money mostly comes from television contracts, and the broadcast networks that dole out said contracts seek as many viewers as possible for their games. The best way to attract those viewers is by having as many highly ranked, big-name teams play each other.
Hardcore fans may still care about regionality, traditional rivals and quaint peculiarities such as the venom of, say, Iowa State-Iowa, the prideful resolve of Mississippi State churning out nine-win seasons or falling asleep watching a late-night game played on blue turf in Idaho.