As funny as it was to imagine Louisiana Tech playing a 20-game schedule this fall, that was never going to happen. For multiple reasons.
Bleed Tech Blue reported Monday that Tech and Conference USA have reached an agreement to allow the Bulldogs to officially join the Sun Belt, beginning July 1.
Conference USA members since 2013, the school announced last July it will join the Sun Belt "no later than July 1, 2027." Tech and C-USA officials began meeting at the conference's offices in suburban Dallas during the fall to attempt to move 2027 to 2026, but failed to reach an agreement. And so in March, the University of Louisiana System sued C-USA on Louisiana Tech's behalf.
“Today, Louisiana Tech took a necessary step in the best interest of its student athletes. When we joined Conference USA in 2013, its membership was different, its scheduling was different, and the landscape of college athletics was very different. Seven months ago, we notified CUSA of our intent to exit in July 2026. We have worked in good faith toward an amicable separation within conference bylaws. The proposed 2026 football schedule drafted by CUSA left us no choice but to pursue this remedy," the school said at the time.
It was then in both the Sun Belt and C-USA's best legal interests to behave as if Louisiana Tech would be a member in 2026, leading to the comical outcome of both conferences releasing their respective schedules, with LA Tech on both. The Bulldogs were officially slated to play three double-headers, and most weeks playing games three days apart. Now, C-USA will have to release Version 2 of its 2026 schedule, no doubt in a file on the conference's servers somewhere.
BREAKING: BleedTechBlue has learned that Louisiana Tech and Conference USA have reached an agreement clearing the way for the Bulldogs to officially join the Sun Belt on July 1, 2026. A formal announcement is expected later this week.
— BleedTechBlue (@BleedTechBlue) April 13, 2026
The reporting back in March indicated it was simply a matter of Louisiana Tech and C-USA reaching a mutually-agreeable number, and it appears they have.
Adding Louisiana Tech allows the Sun Belt to keep its symmetrical two-division, six-team alignment -- the only FBS conference still splitting itself in two. The Bulldogs will be in the West alongside Louisiana, ULM, Arkansas State, Southern Miss, South Alabama, and Troy.
2026 Louisiana Tech Football Schedule
Sept. 5: Northwestern State
Sept. 12: at LSU
Sept. 19: at Baylor
Oct. 3: Army
Oct. 10: Louisiana
Oct. 17: at ULM
Oct. 24: Old Dominion
Oct. 31: at South Alabama
Nov. 7: at Troy
Nov. 19, 20 or 21: Arkansas State
Nov. 28: at Georgia Southern