I agree and like their setup with the 1st round byes to the top ranked teams. My point isn't that it can't be done, it's done in every other division and it works really well. My point is solely looking at it from ND's perspective, there are some really big risks that would need to be carefully negotiated, otherwise we risk our independence or the ability to schedule any meaningful games. FCS conference size ranges from 8-14 and there isn't this division between "Power 5" and the other five or whatever their called, plus there are 13 conferences in FCS vs. the 10 in FBS, so the conferences average few teams allowing for more out of conference games (or playing up to FBS teams). So the two independents (North Dakota and Merrimack) aren't limited to half the teams in order to schedule a meaningful slate.
Again, in can certainly be done, but ND has to vehemently protect itself in any sort of setup. ND cannot make other teams play them and if you're an AD and have maybe one non-conference game, are you going to chose ND or Winthrop? I think with an eight, but especially a sixteen team tournament, the bowls necessarily die off. I'm curious if anyone thinks that type of setup puts any pressure on the mega conferences to split back up into smaller conferences and eliminate their conference championship game?