Louisiana Tech University’s invitation to join the Sunbelt Conference did not appear a week ago as many interested parties had hoped over the past month.

Louisiana Tech was a former member of the Sunbelt Conference from 1991 through 2001.  However, the “old” Sunbelt did not sponsor football until the year 2001.

The Bulldogs bailed on the Sunbelt in order to join the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in that same year of 2001.

The 2001 version of the WAC featured prominent football members such as Rice, SMU, Tulsa, and UTEP.

Things changed in 2005.  Rice, SMU, and Tulsa joined the new American Athletic Conference, while UTEP joined Conference USA that same year.  (FYI – The Miners are leaving C-USA next year to join the Mountain West in 2026).

Louisiana Tech stuck around in the disintegrating WAC for several more years.  The Bulldogs finally left and joined Conference USA in 2013 and remain in C-USA today.

History is repeating itself for Louisiana Tech

The WAC fell apart, but Louisiana Tech decided to stick around.  It is hard to know whether that was an intentional move by the school’s athletics department (to be a big fish in a smaller pond, perhaps?).

A harder pill for Bulldog alumni (of which I am one) to swallow might have been that no other mid-major conference (perhaps) invited Louisiana Tech to leave the WAC at the same time.

Guess what?  It’s happening once again.

This time, it is Conference USA which is imploding.

The year 2022 saw six C-USA schools (UNC-Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, University of Alabama-Birmingham, and UT-San Antonio) leave to join the American Athletic Conference.  Those schools are located in medium-to-large television markets.

The next year saw C-USA have three more defections. 

Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss all joined the Sunbelt Conference in 2023.

Conference USA quickly recruited replacement members such as Liberty, Jacksonville (AL) State, Kennesaw State, New Mexico State, and Sam Houston State.  The University of Delaware and Missouri State are moving up from the FCS level to begin competing in Conference USA this fall.

Louisiana Tech has been left (again) as one of the “big dogs” in a declining athletics conference. 

This time, it is Conference USA.

Let’s change hats and examine this from the perspective of the Sunbelt Conference

The loss of Texas State University will leave the Sunbelt Conference with only 13 members by this time next summer.

Seven schools participate in the Eastern Division and (next year) six will be in the West.

The league currently has member schools in these sunbelt southern states:

Virginia (James Madison and Old Dominion)

West Virginia (Marshall)

North Carolina (Appalachian State)

South Carolina (Coastal Carolina)

Georgia (Georgia Southern and Georgia State)

Alabama (South Alabama and Troy)

Mississippi (Southern Miss)

Louisiana (UL-Lafayette and UL-Monroe)

Arkansas (Arkansas State)

The Sunbelt Conference may be considering adding one, three, or even five new members as the league seems to be positioning itself as the next tier just below the SEC and ACC.

Supporters of the Sunbelt Conference are boasting about recent athletic success stories.

The Sunbelt placed eight of its 14 football teams into post-season bowl games last year. 

Coastal Carolina’s baseball team just finished as the national runner-up to LSU in June’s 2025 College World Series.

Let’s peruse a map of the increasingly populated southern states.  There are no current Sunbelt members in the states of Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, and (soon) Texas.

What are you seeing, SwampSwami?

My tea leaves (OK, it’s actually the internet buzz) indicate that more than one Sunbelt Conference member institution is not in favor of Louisiana Tech being handed the departing spot of Texas State in 2026.

Those unknown online naysayers suggest that the league should take its sweet time and proceed with adding one or more teams very slowly.

The weather forecast for all mid-major colleges is becoming quite unsettled soon.

The financial implications of the recent “Big Ugly Settlement Agreement” (read my recent story here) is forcing some rather well known mid-major universities to increase their athletics funding soon or they may be forced to take a financial step backwards quickly.

Some athletic conferences are quietly establishing minimum dollar amounts (as in “x” million dollars per year) which each member institution must set aside annually to directly pay their athletes.

Yes, that just became legally acceptable beginning July 1.

Those mandates could drive a few top mid-major names to seek shelter in the more geographically-friendly and economic Sunbelt Conference.

The Sunbelt commissioner’s telephone is likely ringing daily with inquiries from potential new universities as the new economic realities surrounding today’s new pay-for-play athletics structure settle in.

It’s time to unveil the current line-up of Sunbelt Conference Beauty contestants!

The Sunbelt Conference office doesn’t have to be in a rush to select a winner to replace Texas State.  It might even pick three new schools and become a 16-team league.

As we begin the Sunbelt Conference Beauty Contest, entrants from the states of Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Texas may have captured the eyes of some judges.

Below is my list of possible schools which the Sunbelt Conference may be considering for future admission.

I’ll start with the pros and cons of my three current Sunbelt favorites:

Louisiana Tech (Conference USA) – Proximity to other Sunbelt teams (ULM, UL-Lafayette, and Southern Miss); a history of athletic success in Division 1; excellent athletic facilities; brings Shreveport (#84) TV market into play.  Negatives – would become the third Louisiana-based team in Sunbelt; had a history of reluctance to play football against ULM, UL-Lafayette, and other Sunbelt members.

Western Kentucky (Conference USA) – The Hilltoppers have six straight football bowl appearances; the baseball team won C-USA this spring; fans seem to be enthusiastic about becoming the first Kentucky entry into the Sunbelt.  Negative – a small TV market (#182)

Middle Tennessee State (Conference USA) – Would be the first Tennessee-based school in the Sunbelt; brings Nashville TV market (#29); stable history of NCAA Division 1 athletics.  Negative – small average home football attendance (13,953 per game).

Diminishing odds:

Florida International (Conference USA) – Would be the first Florida-based Sunbelt team; brings Miami-Fort Lauderdale TV market (#16); large local enrollment (44,000).  Negative – small home football attendance (11,728 per game) with games being played in a 20,000 seat soccer stadium.

UAB Blazers (American Athletic Conference) – Central location near several existing Sunbelt members; brings Birmingham TV market (#40); beautiful new football facility.  Negatives – Only moved into the American Athletic Conference in 2023; would face a reduction in TV revenue by changing conferences plus a possible exit fee from the AAC.

North Texas Mean Green (American Athletic Conference) – Would take Texas State’s position in the Sunbelt; brings Dallas-Fort Worth TV market (#5); large enrollment (47,000 students); has a long NCAA Division 1 sports history.  Negatives – Despite the school’s size, the athletics program lags in funding and suffers from weak home attendance.  Like UAB, it would receive lower TV revenue by moving to the Sunbelt but could offset some of those costs with lower travel expenses.

East Carolina Pirates (American Athletic Conference) – ECU would be an excellent geographic fit for other Sunbelt members in Virginia, West Virginia, S. Carolina, and Georgia; has a long history of competitive NCAA Division 1 sports.  Negatives – TV market is relatively small (#103); ECU (like UAB and North Texas) would take a revenue hit by dropping from American to Sunbelt Conference but lower travel costs would help to offset that loss. 

Long Shots:

Florida Atlantic Owls (American Athletic Conference) – FAU had some recent football success (Lane Kiffin – 2019) and its 2023 men’s basketball program played in the NCAA Final Four; the school is located in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale TV market (#16).  Negatives – Local fan support for most major sports is lukewarm in this beach community; though they have a more successful athletics program than nearby Florida International, FAU seems unmotivated to switch conferences again in the short term.

Memphis Tigers (American Athletic Conference) – Could become the first Tennessee-based Sunbelt member; football team has been nationally ranked in recent years; brings Memphis TV market (#48); football facility is being upgraded.  Negatives – This only makes sense if the school cannot keep pace with the rising cost of collegiate athletics.  Memphis considers itself to be a “big time” program in most sports.  I think Memphis would be the most unlikely school of this group to leave the AAC.

SwampSwami envisions another round of conference “Musical Chairs” coming soon

The NCAA’s recent $2.6 billion NIL “Settlement Agreement” is going to take a significant bite of revenue away from most mid-major athletic programs.

The Athletics Director at Conference USA member Western Kentucky sent a notice on July 1 to supporters that the NCAA will be deducting about $400,000 per year from the school’s annual share of conference TV and media revenues.  This informative read explains the difficulties facing most mid-major athletic programs right now.

Many athletics departments were already struggling to generate enough cash to pay for college sports. 

The loss of a few hundred thousand dollars per year in conference TV revenue is just the beginning of greater financial pressures.

I expect to see a few mid-major universities in the Sunbelt, Conference USA, AAC or other mid-major athletic conferences leave their current conference affiliations in the months ahead to seek a lower cost athletics home.

Long-time Sunbelt Conference member UL-Monroe could be one of those victims

The Warhawks have the smallest enrollment in the Sunbelt Conference.  They have struggled for years with weak home attendance and tight revenues as they have tried to offset the cost of its athletics programs.

ULM abruptly ended its women’s tennis program in mid-June due to costs.  Other schools will be forced to make similar economic moves to keep their athletics programs solvent.

Here’s a random thought. 

What if ULM (or any other mid-major conference school) could receive a cash payment from their current conference to vacate their spot and allow a better funded school to take its place? 

The departing school could use the proceeds to help fund a transition back into a more economic conference or even the FCS level for its football program.

The financial pressures of staying in so-called “big time” college athletics is going to force a surprising of changes in the months ahead.

This spinning is only beginning.

The post Welcome to the Sunbelt Conference Beauty Pageant! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.