The SEC network money combined with empty seats I think will cause the change. It pays to be a middle of the pack SEC team which is exactly why after years of neglect the powers to be at UK started caring about football. In the past, if you were a bottom feeder or a middle of the pack team it didn't make much difference in the money side of things.
Season Ticket sells are also big. That equals ad revenue for the stadium. They continue to drop, and the dept loses money.