RUSTON, La. (103.3 The GOAT) — Louisiana Tech football finds itself double-booked, listed on two separate conference schedules at once, with a courtroom set to decide which one actually gets the Bulldogs this fall.
Conference USA released its 2026 football schedule late Thursday night with Louisiana Tech listed as a full member. Then, on Friday afternoon, the Sun Belt Conference dropped its own schedule — also with Louisiana Tech on it. Put the two together and you get a 20-game regular season, two scheduling conflicts on the same date, and a whole lot of confusion heading into fall.
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How Louisiana Tech Ended Up on Two Schedules
This mess traces back to July 14, 2025, when La Tech accepted the Sun Belt’s invitation to join the conference. The Sun Belt’s offer specified the move would happen “no later than July 1, 2027,” but Louisiana Tech wanted in for 2026 and notified Conference USA of its intent to exit by July 1, 2026.
C-USA pushed back. The conference’s bylaws require at least 14 months’ notice before a school can leave without a negotiated financial settlement. C-USA argued La Tech’s notice came up short and kept the Bulldogs on its 2026 schedule while exit fee negotiations stalled.
The two sides met in Dallas in late July 2025. C-USA told La Tech to make a financial offer. According to the Lincoln Parish Journal’s reporting on the 102-page court filing, La Tech eventually offered $480,000 plus its 2025-26 league distribution and the buyback of its TV rights. C-USA rejected the offer in January 2026, and by February, the conference had formally told La Tech it would remain on the 2026 schedule.
The Lawsuit and What Happens Next
With talks dead and C-USA’s schedule looming, the University of Louisiana System filed a lawsuit March 4 in Lincoln Parish on La Tech’s behalf, seeking a temporary, preliminary, and permanent injunction to force the early exit…