Have to disagree with you about the gate. LC will see this year, if they don't already know, Ezell will bring all of 25 fans to the game. That's the main reason MP dropped them, no money from the gate. Most of the other ABC schools aren't going to bring as many fans as MP and WC will to the games. Schools got to make money somewhere to help with costs.
I will say it is a great help to MP and WC to play LC but I don't think it helps LC much at all. If they would have had to go to a passing attack or at least had to try to use it in either game then you might say LC improved from those games. But they didn't so everyone knows that LC can't pass and will load up on them. It's the same thing people say about MP. Can't pass so just stop the run, and eventually it will happen wheather it's the 1'st round of the playoffs or 4th.