It finally happened this week.

Louisiana Tech University held a news conference at 3PM this afternoon to officially accept an invitation to (re)join the Sunbelt Conference.   An earlier press release mentioned that the Bulldogs will begin play no later than the 2027 college football season (more on that issue in a moment). 

Yes, I have done my tiny little part to help push this issue along during the past month (see here and here).  Do you think this 1981 graduate of Louisiana Tech would stoop low enough to take a victory lap at the beginning of this post?

Oh, yes I would!

It took a lot of us barking bulldogs (fans, alumni, donors, and other interested parties) to provide a clear signal to Louisiana Tech that it was time for the school to exit Conference USA ASAP.

An abbreviated summary of how we arrived at this point

Louisiana Tech joined Conference USA in 2013.  The far-flung conference was considered (at that time) to be a good fit for the Ruston-based Bulldogs.

Prominent C-USA members in 2013 included UAB, Florida Atlantic, Marshall University, UNC-Charlotte, North Texas, Rice University, Old Dominion, Southern Miss, and UT-San Antonio.

Every one of those nine schools left C-USA to join either the American Athletic Conference or the Sunbelt Conference over the past three years.

The University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP) becomes the 10th major defection from C-USA beginning next year.

The Miners (members of Conference USA since 2005) are leaving to join the Mountain West Conference in the fall of 2026.

Why did they all leave?

The television and media revenue offered by the other conferences was substantially more than Conference USA’s most recent media contracts pay to member schools.

I will give (a little) credit to Conference USA for moving rather quickly to add a number of replacement schools.  Most of the new additions have far less sports gravitas then their predecessors and are quite geographically distant.

Is anyone fired-up about making a 1,321 mile trip (one way) to play football at new C-USA member University of Delaware on November 8?

Louisiana Tech’s good fortune this week with the Sunbelt Conference has been a direct result of Texas State University’s big decision announced on June 30. 

The Bobcats are leaving the Sunbelt to play (for more money, of course) in the newly reconstituting Pac-12 (minus 4) Conference beginning in 2026.

That left one spot in the Sunbelt Conference Western Division to be filled.

The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (along with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers) eagerly waved their hands to signal a desire to take Texas State’s slot in the Sunbelt Conference.  Louisiana Tech had been a non-football playing member of the Sunbelt between 1991-2001.

The geographic proximity of Louisiana Tech to other Sunbelt Western Division member universities made for an almost perfect (and very timely) economic fit.

Why is this move not (necessarily) going to happen in 2026?

Most Louisiana Tech supporters are ready to skedaddle from Conference USA as quickly as possible. Waiting two years to make this move would really dampen the excitement.  

There are contracts negotiated between Conference USA and each member school which require a minimum notice period (along with a hefty exit fee) for a school to leave before the original agreement ends.

This might require an estimated $5 million to pay for an early contract termination provision allowing Louisiana Tech to leave Conference USA.

Ouch!

Conference USA has seen more than half of its member schools exit during the past three years.  Louisiana Tech is likely considered one of C-USA’s premier remaining teams based on those departures.

Don’t expect Conference USA to budge an inch when it comes to conceding any financial ground with the Bulldogs’ desired early exit.

Louisiana Tech may need to pay additional money to reschedule or terminate one or more future football contests which could interfere with traditional conference playing dates used by the Sunbelt Conference.

The plus side to these “problems” is that Louisiana Tech’s portion of the Sunbelt Conference media contracts will provide substantial collateral should the school need to negotiate a short-term loan to help foot the exit costs.

It’s safe to say that nearly 100% of Bulldog fans want to jump into Sunbelt competition in 2026.  Let’s hope that the school is able to resolve those concerns quickly and avoid having to wait until the fall of 2027 to make this move.

This is a big win for regional rivalries!

The Sunbelt Western Division features Arkansas State (Jonesboro, Arkansas), Troy University (Troy, Alabama), South Alabama (Mobile), Southern Miss (Hattiesburg), and two Louisiana-based schools.

The University of Louisiana-Monroe (ULM) is located only 35 miles from Louisiana Tech via I-20.  UL-Lafayette (aka Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns) is just 190 miles south of both Louisiana Tech (via US Highway 167) and ULM (via US Highway 165).

Recent history has seen Louisiana Tech shun opportunities to play football games against ULM (last game in 2000) and UL-Lafayette (last game in 2015).

A positive development in recent years has shown the Louisiana Tech athletics department making amends with two of its biggest intrastate rivals.

The Bulldogs signed a deal to play football against Louisana’s Ragin’ Cajuns beginning in 2026. 

A long overdue home and home series against ULM was inked with the games to be played in 2030 and 2031.

This surprising renewal of civilities coming from Louisiana Tech with their two Sunbelt Conference neighbors may have just paid-off handsomely.

Internet buzz indicated that both ULM and UL-Lafayette were Louisiana Tech’s biggest supporters and helped to round-up other “Yes” votes at this week’s Sunbelt Conference meeting.  

The ULM Warhawks couldn’t be happier!

It’s not a stretch to say that sports fans of the UL-Monroe Warhawks have been salivating at the prospect of renewing sports rivalries with their nearby rival in Ruston. 

The two schools have a rather long and, at times, contentious sports history.

The ULM athletics office may just as happy as the folks in Ruston to welcome Louisiana Tech into the same conference soon.

ULM’s athletics website and X.com social media site posted a welcome to Louisiana Tech joining the Sunbelt Conference with the caption, “Reigniting the Battle of I-20!”

The largest home football crowds for both ULM and Louisiana Tech have occurred when these two teams have played against each other.

Attendance for every future Sunbelt Conference encounter between the Warhawks and Bulldogs is guaranteed to bring a boost in fan interest and revenue to both schools.

Departing Sunbelt Conference member Texas State University in San Marcos is a 460 mile bus drive from Monroe, Louisiana.

Commercial busses average about 5 miles per gallon of diesel.

At $3 gallon recently, a round-trip trip to San Marcos and back will cost $576 per bus.

A future 70-mile round trip to Ruston will cost the Warhawks just $42 in fuel per bus.

Lower travel expenses plus increased revenues from higher ticket sales to more interested customers make today’s official announcement a big win/win proposition for both ULM and Louisiana Tech.

There is a surprisingly long athletics history between the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and the USL Bulldogs (???)

Did you know that today’s Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns were once known as the University of Southwestern Louisiana Bulldogs?

USL dropped its Bulldogs nickname in 1974 to officially become the Ragin’ Cajuns. 

Good move!

Louisiana Tech and USL both competed in the Gulf States Conference from 1948 through 1971.  They continued their sports rivalries into the Southland Conference from 1971 through 1982.

USL then became an independent NCAA Divison I football school for years prior to joining the Sunbelt Conference in 1991.

Fans of Louisiana Tech and today’s University of Louisiana – Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns have each considered themselves to be the state’s top “Non-LSU” university when it comes to athletic excellence.

Even die-hard Bulldogs fans may (begrudgingly) concede the top spot to UL-Lafayette – at least over the past decade.

The Ragin’ Cajuns football team has been nationally ranked a few times in recent years. Louisiana Tech’s last winning football season came in 2019.

A $65 million upgrade to UL-Lafayette’s Cajun Field football stadium is in the final stages of completion.

The entire west side of the soon-to-be 38,000 seat football stadium was demolished in December, 2023. A new press box, state-of-the art box suites, and many new fan-friendly amenities for season ticket holders (at a cost, of course) are expected to be ready to go for the team’s first home game against Rice University on Saturday, August 30.

The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns also posted a welcome to Louisiana Tech for rejoining the Sunbelt Conference on its social media sites.

The title was, “The Rivalry is Renewed!”

Travel expenses for UL-Lafayette will become lower.  Home attendance for games played against North Louisiana rival Louisiana Tech should be higher than for any other current Sunbelt Conference member.

This is definitely a win/win for the Ragin’ Cajuns, too.

“You gotta love it!”

Louisiana Tech’s long-time play-by-play radio announcer Dave Nitz recently passed away at age 82. 

He began calling college football, basketball, and baseball games in Ruston in 1974.  Dave Nitz retired his headset and microphone in 2024 after 50 years of service at the school.

Nitz’ famous catch phrase, “You Gotta Love It!” sums up how most Louisiana Tech University sports fans feel about the school’s impending return to the Sunbelt Conference.  

The post A Sunbelt Reunion for Louisiana Tech, ULM, and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.