The landscape of college football continues to shift. Just as with NIL, conference realignment has become a regular part of collegiate athletics. Recently, Louisiana Tech announced it would leave Conference USA for the Sun Belt Conference. In a subtle statement of their stance on the matter, Conference USA responded.
Louisiana Tech Departure Sparks Conference USA Scheduling Standoff
Late Thursday night, Conference USA released its annual football schedule for the upcoming season, which lists Louisiana Tech as an active member. Today, the Sun Belt Conference released its version, also including the Bulldogs as a member.
CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello commented on the unique scenario of both conferences listing the same team.
“Louisiana Tech is suing to leave CUSA and join the Sun Belt this season, but CUSA still listed Louisiana Tech on its schedule released today. For funsies, let’s fantasize a world where Louisiana Tech is forced to play 20 games.”
While Louisiana Tech will not compete in both leagues this season, its departure remains a major issue for all parties involved. In July 2025, Louisiana Tech announced plans to leave Conference USA for the Sun Belt.
Louisiana Tech is suing to leave CUSA and join the Sun Belt this season, but CUSA still listed Louisiana Tech on its schedule released today.
For funsies, let’s fantasize a world where Louisiana Tech is forced to play 20 games.
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) March 13, 2026
The Sun Belt invitation stated the move must happen no later than July 1, 2027. However, Conference USA invoked a bylaw requiring 14 months’ notice of departure unless a negotiated settlement is reached, leading to a dispute over the effective date of the switch.
On March 5, Louisiana Tech sued Conference USA, seeking a judge’s injunction that would allow an early transfer to the Sun Belt this July. Conference USA contends that, without a settlement, Louisiana Tech remains obligated to play through the 2026 season under the 14-month rule. A court hearing to address the dispute is scheduled for March 19.
Currently, the combined 20-game schedule across both conferences has Louisiana Tech scheduled for two games on the same day, on two separate occasions. On November 7, the Bulldogs would play road games against Troy and Jacksonville State. Additionally, Louisiana Tech is slated to play both Western Kentucky and Georgia Southern on the road on November 28.
October’s combined schedule appears particularly challenging. In that month, Louisiana Tech is scheduled to play nine games. Notably, between October 21 and October 31, Louisiana Tech would play four games in 10 days if the situation persists.
This is not the first disagreement between Conference USA and the Sun Belt. In 2022, Conference USA members Marshall, Southern Miss, and Old Dominion sought to join the Sun Belt for the upcoming season.
They were allowed to leave after settlements were reached. For Louisiana Tech this year, its Conference USA schedule could start on September 26 against Middle Tennessee State, while its Sun Belt season could begin on October 10 against Louisiana, formerly the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
The program hopes to build on an 8-5 season driven by its defense, which ranked No. 64 in the PFSN CFB Defense Impact Rankings.
Either way, the Bulldogs will play somewhere this season. Head coach Sonny Cumbie aims to lead the program to its first back-to-back winning seasons since 2018 and 2019. Which side will yield first, and whether a financial settlement is reached, remain unresolved.
