What could the abandonment of divisions accomplish?

It helps to overcome Geography. If 9 members of the PAC 12 had an inclination to align with the Big 10 because of academic associations, they could play a core of 4 or 5 West Coast games and split 4 more home and away with schools in B1G areas and vice versa.

The conference would offer semi finals with one played in Phoenix and the other in Indianapolis and the finals in Pasadena.

Likewise, the SEC could add 8 mostly from the ACC and play semis in Dallas and Atlanta with the finals in New Orleans. Within the SEC it would be easy for former SWC/B12, ACC, and old core SEC schools to play a core of 5 and rotate 4.

As long as networks pay pro rata for the brand vs brand games two super conferences (really small leagues) could resolve much of what seems currently insurmountable obstacles to cooperation, level the media revenue disparity and in good faith come up with playoff structure which is agreeable and works in synch with NFL events instead of competing with them.

I do believe a third conference of about ~24 schools should more or less assembled because they are not academically amenable to the B1G or geographically compatible or brand accretive to the SEC. They want to be included, should be included, and division-less is also helpful in the construction of this new conference built around the Big 12.

So the NCAA convention may have delivered the very seed out of which a solid new structure may sprout and flourish. It just seems to me to be quite the remedy with which to address so many issues. And if the structure benefits networks, ends rancor, and draws fans, the cost of pro rata for 18 schools and a fair rate for the New Big 12 is a small and quite reasonable price to pay.