Louisiana Tech – CUSA Member Since 2013 – Joining Sun Belt

---

Announced earlier today, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs are officially leaving Conference USA after being a member since 2013. Their new home is the Sun Belt Conference, specifically in the Western Division. The move will formally take place ahead of the 2026 Fall Athletics season across most sports in Ruston, Louisiana.

The news comes not long after the Pac-12 Conference acquired Sun Belt member Texas State for the 2026 season. In football, specifically, the Pac-12 needed an eighth full-time member to qualify for conference championships, bowl games, and potentially the College Football Playoff.

Louisiana Tech approved today by Sun Belt presidents as 14th member of the Sun Belt, sources told @On3sports. Louisiana Tech, who replaces Texas State, will join Sun Belt in 2026. Conference USA expected to remain at 10 schools in 2026, source said

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 14, 2025

These moves are setting up for a vastly different look across college sports in terms of conference membership. It’s been a back-and-forth affair of conferences pillaging other conferences to stay afloat. All in all, the Pac-12, Mountain West, Sun Belt, Conference USA, and even the MAC will look different a year from now.

And Then, There Were Ten

Speaking of CUSA, they’ll drop down to 10 members in 2026, as they’re also losing UTEP to the Mountain West. The remaining members (for now) are as follows:

–FIU Panthers (Joined in 2013)

-Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (Joined in 2013)

-Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (Joined in 2014)

-Jacksonville State Gamecocks (Joined in 2023)

-Liberty Flames (Joined in 2023)

-New Mexico State Aggies (Joined in 2023)

-Sam Houston State Bearkats (Joined in 2023)

-Kennesaw State Owls (Joined in 2024)

-Delaware Blue Hens (Joined in 2025)

-Missouri State Bears (Joined in 2025)

It’s a spread-out conference geographically. New Mexico State’s closest opponent, Sam Houston State, is 770 miles away following the loss of UTEP. Sam Houston’s closest opponent is now Jacksonville State, which is 715 miles away following Louisiana Tech’s departure. FIU’s closest opponent is still Kennesaw State, which is 691 miles away.

Meanwhile, Louisiana Tech’s new conference, the Sun Belt, is a solid fit for them geographically. They join two other opponents in the Bayou State, Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe.

FIU has played LA Tech in football seven times and has won twice, including the most recent matchup in 2024. The other win was a double-overtime thriller back in 2022.

Where Does CUSA Go Next?

We’ll see what happens from here for CUSA. Three things could happen.

-Other conferences like the Sun Belt, American, MAC, and Mountain West might want to quickly pillage other members of CUSA, just like in 2021.

-CUSA will look to add newcomers to the conference that are FCS in football and D1 in all other sports. Thankfully, there’s a lot to choose from.

-Absolutely nothing.

As far as potential replacements, I spoke about a few possible teams back on Episode 101 of the Paws Up Podcast. While it would be nice to pillage conferences like the Sun Belt and American, I doubt CUSA is in the position to do that. How would they convince someone from the Sun Belt to join them right after the LA Tech move?

The following teams have either made great strides with their football programs in FCS, already play other CUSA teams in their non-conference schedules, or fit geographically and can reduce travel costs.

-Tarleton State Texans (United Athletic Conference)

-Central Arkansas Bears (United Athletic Conference)

-Eastern Kentucky Colonels (United Athletic Conference)

-Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (Southland Conference)

-McNeese State Cowboys (Southland Conference)

-UT Chattanooga Mocs (Southern Conference)

-Western Carolina Catamounts (Southern Conference)

About Post Author