How many decades do we need to look back to find the point when this wasn't the case?
I think it has really changed in the last 20ish years. So two decades. Prior BCS and playoff there was at least some care for rules. USC was really the last dominant team that the NCAA decides to enforce compliance. I can’t see that happening at all with OSU, Bama, UGA, Clemson. As you said and openly admit, the money tree is too big at this point. You know they are cheating, I know they are cheating, we all know everyone is cheating. The ones that are best at it and throw the most money at it are the ones that have the best teams.
That’s a business mascarading as a sport and some are big enough where regulation and monopolies are a side concern, at best.
Once the money train started nobody cared as long as the cash machine kept running. It’s a stretch to call it a sport at this point.