Interesting you should say that about Alabama. Maybe it has a broader national audience under Saban.
And the playoff system has increased exposure. But when bama dominated in the 70s, we (Alabama fans) had a chip on our shoulder about Notre Dame, Michigan, USC (yankee teams) getting more exposure. And when the national championship was determined by AP and UPI pollsters, several times we felt robbed because we believed they were biased in favor of Notre Dame, etc. Things have changed.