Lastly, I can understand why aschool would intend to ban kids not only from other schoolswithin the conference but also other top-tier schoolswithin the state, from bordering states, or comparable conferences in terms of strength and status such as the ACC.
More depressing for the purists is that I only see four ways to reverse the trend: (1) State legislative subsidies to keep a state-supported schoolwithin the existing conference due to other state schools they play and revenue retention from those games (2) private business subsidies, (3) donations from the general public and high net worth individuals, or (4) a conscious decision to deemphasize sports.