I'm not going to say that you're arguing this from the perspective of an Alabama fan (will always get the benefit of the doubt), but I can state that I'm absolutely arguing this as a Purdue fan that will NEVER get the benefit of the doubt.
The year that Purdue goes 12-1 (winning the CCG) to win the Big Ten will be the year that the ACC, SEC, B12, PAC will all have 1-loss conference champions and I know that Purdue will ALWAYS be the odd man out in that scenario, unless Boston College and Washington State are the teams winning the ACC/P12. And even then it's dicey.
So for me, part of it is that I want the conference championship to be the FIRST goal of every team. This makes that the first goal. Getting a conference championship, no matter HOW you get it, automatically puts you into the next step.
Conference championships would now be primarily relevant, where they really aren't any longer in the CFP. In the CFP a conference championship is an important data point, but going 11-1 and missing your CCG is potentially a better route to the CFP than going 12-1 with a CCG loss.
i can agree and understand that point of view. it's not beyond me that i'm a fan of a privileged team (mostly earned) and that they'll get benefits most others won't. i try to disregard that fandom and bias i inherently have, and feel i mostly do a good job at that, but i also know it's impossible for that to be completely removed.
i also like to reiterate that i proposed a plan (albeit not completely thought out, so could have flaws) that i think would give both of us what we wanted.
i'm also for the conference title being primary goal #1 for the season. it's 100% in your control for every team from day one, and should stay that way.
for the cfp, with the 4 team we currently have, i'm not sure how you can guarantee any team/conf anything. there aren't enough spots for guarantees. just a "do your best and see if it works out".
for the 6-8 we'll likely be going to soon, this could work.
you get an auto bid if you win your conference (p5 confs) and are in top 10. i'd feel pretty confident that any p5 conf team with an 12-1 record and conf champ would be top 10, including purdue.