The value of these 7 games would not be significantly more than the top 7 current bowl games as far as the contract to televise them. But even if they did make a lot more money, we're talking about 8 teams in the post-season instead of 70. Currently, we have a "Bowl Season". If we went to a playoff, we'd have the "NCAA Playoffs" and then some bowls. Not all the bowls would survive and those that did wouldn't be as relevant as they currently are. Throw in all the sponsorships and community tie-ins surrounding bowl games, and this is a ton of money on table here..
Where in the hell are you getting this assumption that playoffs will end all other bowls from? Replace "NCAA Playoff" with "BCS Bowls" and you have exactly what we have now...
And as to the playoff "competitive advantage" thing, I get that point now. NFL doesn't really have a problem having teams play on saturday AND sunday during the wild card phase, and top seeded teams STILL get a bye. Depending on the 16 team playoff structure, little would be different than what the NFL does with great success.
And lets look at the "big bowl" schedule so we can compare ratings potential. All times ET.
Rose Bowl: 5 pm Saturday Jan 1st
Fiesta bowl: 8:30 PM saturday Jan 1st.
Orange Bowl: 8:30 PM Monday
Sugar: 8:30 PM Tuesday.
BCS mNC game: 8:30 PM Monday.
Now, the MnC is not part of the discussion, it doesn't realy matter. Here is where you have to make a decision. Only TWO games of the big bowls are on a week night. And they are in primetime. However, they mean NOTHING to the national championship discussion.
This is all a scheduling problem, and you are putting up a smoke screen by saying it is insurmountable. It is not. If you have 3 weeks or 4 to put a system together, there is nothing impossible about putting two games on on any given night. Just keep the opposing brackets playing on the same night, and then maybe have an extra week off to ensure there is no discernable benefit to either bracket.
Bracket 1 and 2 play Saturday/Sunday respectively. Or hell, Tuesday/Wed, it doesn't matter beyond TV preference.
And I can't believe you guys refuse to acknowledge the biggest problem with your preferred system: It doesn't give us a real champion. unless everything is perfect, which happens once every 3 years or so. In a limited playoff, we get a REAL NC, not a MYTHICAL NC which we get now. No credibility in the current system!
In sum: The problems you raise (especially $$ wise) are either smoke screens or easily solvable problems. And the weakening of the importance of the regular season is also a very questionable theory that doesn't seem to be backed up by logical thinking.
Here is a question to put to the TV execs: What would make more money, 5 BCS games with national title implications, or just one? If you think it is the latter, I want what you are smoking.