The Louisiana Tech University Bulldogs have accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference, it was announced Tuesday.
Louisiana Tech will officially join the Sun Belt Conference no later than July 1, 2027 and will compete in the conference in all sports.
“We are thrilled to welcome Louisiana Tech University to the Sun Belt. Geographically situated within the current Sun Belt footprint, the addition of Louisiana Tech reunites a number of long-standing regional rivalries under the conference banner,” said Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Keith Gill. “I am grateful to President Dr. Jim Henderson and Athletic Director Ryan Ivey for their leadership during this process. I’d also like to thank the CEOs and athletic directors of our Sun Belt member institutions for their continued commitment to the premier FBS non-autonomy conference in the country. The Sun Belt Conference is RISING and our best days are ahead.”
The addition of Louisiana Tech will solidify the Sun Belt’s membership roster at 14. The Bulldogs will join existing members Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, James Madison, Louisiana, Marshall, Old Dominion, South Alabama, Southern Miss, Troy, and ULM.
Texas State is departing the Sun Belt for the Pac-12 Conference, with the move becoming effective on July 1, 2026.
“The storied legacy of our Bulldogs and Lady Techsters, long an integral part of the Louisiana Tech experience, will be advanced with this move,” President Jim Henderson said. “The invitation from the Sun Belt Conference affirms the quality of our athletics programs. Joining the conference will guarantee regular competition with regional rivals, new and old, creating a more logistically sound experience for our student-athletes, coaches, and fans.”
Louisiana Tech has competed in Conference USA since 2013. The Bulldogs were previously members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) from 2001 through 2012.
“Through all the uncertainty surrounding college athletics, we are pleased that Louisiana Tech has found its rightful home as a member of the Sun Belt Conference,” Director of Athletics Ryan Ivey said. “The opportunity for more fan engagement, reduced travel burden, and the renewal of storied rivalries will allow our student-athletes to pursue excellence in sport and in the classroom. Our coaches, student-athletes, alumni, and fans share in our excitement for the future of Bulldogs and Lady Techsters athletics. We appreciate Commissioner Keith Gill and the board for their confidence in our athletics department and look forward to elevating the conference through competition.”
The move to the Sun Belt Conference makes sense for Louisiana Tech, as it means more opportunities for its athletics programs to face in-state foes Louisiana and ULM.
“The Sun Belt has remained steadfast in its commitment to regional rivalries, geographic alignment and competitive excellence,” said Georgia Southern and Sun Belt Board of Directors President Dr. Kyle Marrero. “When it came time to add a new member to the Sun Belt Conference, it became clear that Louisiana Tech was the right fit. This addition renews long-standing rivalries, enhances our divisional structure, strengthens the competitive profile of the league across multiple sports and eases travel for fans and teams. We’re excited to welcome the Bulldogs to the Sun Belt!”
LA Tech to the SBC is shocking to say the least given their long resistance to playing ULM in OOC games.
I would have thought the SBC would take Sam Houston, to maintain a presence in Texas which is important for recruiting.
Literally all the reports on social media was LA Tech the entire time. No surprise here…
Hardly a suprise—-when one confeence loses a member,the radid another. Conference Usa is now an tnry level conference. You come up from FBS. Hello CUSA. You move from D2 to D1, hello CUSA.
LA Tech is right in the Subn Belt–perfect fit
Puts them in the same conference with ULM I for the first time since they were both in the Southland Conference, I think.
Interesting how these teams seem to move between C-USA and Sun Belt quite a bit.
10-15 years ago, schools were moving from the Sun Belt to C-USA (UNT, WKU, MTSU, FAU, FIU).
Nowadays, it’s the other way around (S. Miss, ODU, Marshall, and now LT).
Fantastic post JM!!!
The next moves the Sun Belt should make are adding Eastern Kentucky and McNeese, so that they can have the following games on Thanksgiving weekend:
Appalachian State-Coastal Carolina
Arkansas State-Southern Miss
Eastern Kentucky-Marshall
Georgia Southern-Georgia State
James Madison-Old Dominion
Louisiana-McNeese
Louisiana Tech-ULM
South Alabama-Troy
The two Louisiana rivalries listed are between schools connected by a particular Interstate (one by I-10, the other by I-20) and have long histories that predate the launch of SBC football.
It should also be noted that the SBC has its headquarters in Louisiana, specifically New Orleans.
EKU and McNeese, while either good right now or historically good, are nowhere near FBS ready. If they want to go to FBS, they’ll be in C-USA.
I do not know why schools outside the most elite rivalries want their rivalry game up against MIch/OSU, Texas/Texas A&M, Alabama/Auburn, Clemson/SoCar, etc. FCS attendance in 2024 for geographically relevant, non-HBCU schools:
Tarleton State – 19,147
McNeese – 10,269
The Citadel – 10,225
ETSU – 9,881
Jackson State, Montana and Montana State were the three FCS schools with average attendance over 20,000 in 2024. The attendance figures do not count playoff games.
Evan nailed this—EKU and McNeese State (I’m going old school) are FCS schools. They have a long way to go
In another post you talk about thinking they’d take a Texas school to keep that presence, then you add two members in another post and neither are from Texas. Why take from FCS when they could take Sam Houston, Middle Tennessee, or WKU from CUSA
Z-Man should get into politics.
3 Louisiana teams in the same conference? Are they preparing for ULM to go the same way as Idaho?
Not at all–geographically, perfect sense
@John Furgele, I’m not saying that in a geographic perspective, I’m saying an atheltic department perspective, like Idaho, ULM has a budget on par with FCS, and is also poorly managed.
Texas State leaves July 2026. L Tech joins July 2027.
Why the 1 year delay?
It’s not for sure yet, La Tech is working on making that entry July 1st, 2026
I think it’s because LT would have to pay a higher exit fee if they leave in 2026 (since they announced their move after July 1, 2025).
That being said, I would not be shocked if we hear reports later this year that LT will join the Sun Belt in July 2026.
Because it was finalized July 15, the deadline was likely July 1.
I’m happy for LT. Whatever bridges that had been burned in the past between them and ULM seem to have been rebuilt.
I feel sorry for WKU though, as they were more deserving of a Sun Belt invite in my opinion.
Don’t look for Western Kentucky to remain Conference USA much longer, they almost went to the MAC before Middle TN pulled out of the deal. Do wonder about the Ohio feelers towards the Sunbelt.
Apparently Ohio wasn’t the only MAC school to reach out to the Sun Belt, they were just the only one named
Does this open the door for CSUS (Sacramento State) to secure an invite from CUSA?
Not happening. They would only join C-USA if it was for football only.
CUSA is smart to wait to see what happens in the next 3-4 years with the AAC. If dominos start to fall there they could end up with a Tulsa or UAB.
If all remains quiet there they can have Tarleton whenever they want.
Might we see some further consolidation down the road?
Sun Belt West: Ark State, La Tech, UL Monroe, UL Lafayette, Southern Miss, UAB
Sun Belt South: Troy, South Alabama, Jacksonville St., Kennesaw St., FIU, FAU
Sun Belt East: Georgia Southern, Georgia St., Coastal Carolina, Appalachian St., Charlotte, East Carolina
Sun Belt North: Old Dominion, James Madison, Liberty, Marshall, Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee St.
Sorry MrVandy Sun Belt or any other Conferences in CFB do not need divisions.
These programs want to play everybody.
That would be like a merge-and-split that the A-Sun and UAC are about to do.
Why would schools from an athletic conference that generates on the average $70.6 million annually (AAC) want to “consolidate” with a conference that generates $38.1 million annually (SBC)?
I’m sure LA Tech will get in by 7/1/26. They’ll figure something out $$$ wise. Nobody wants a lame-duck school in their conference.
Evan July 15th at 6:25PM
Nice post Thumbs Up!!!