With the addition of Louisiana Tech, the Sun Belt Conference will have 13 schools competing in football in 2026. James Snook / Imagn Images
April 21, 2026 8:02 am EDT
Louisiana Tech and Conference USA have reached a settlement in principle that will allow the Bulldogs to join the Sun Belt Conference on July 1, according to federal court documents.
Louisiana Tech announced last July that it would leave CUSA, its home since 2013, for the Sun Belt no later than July 2027, though the school made clear its intention to join in 2026. Discussions between Louisiana Tech and CUSA over the school’s early exit dragged on for months, though, with the sides unable to reach a financial agreement.
Because the league has a grant of rights binding members together through their media distribution contracts, CUSA said it should cost as much as $5.5 million to leave early, and Louisiana Tech offered much less. CUSA sued the school last November for public records regarding the move.
Louisiana Tech sued CUSA in state court earlier this year to stop the league from blocking its move to the Sun Belt. After the school’s request for a temporary restraining order was denied, CUSA motioned to move the case to federal court, a process that would have caused the legal dispute to drag on even longer.
Both CUSA and the Sun Belt released 2026 football schedules that included Louisiana Tech, creating an awkward situation where the Bulldogs were temporarily slotted to play 20 games.
The addition of Louisiana Tech will grow the Sun Belt to 13 football-playing schools. CUSA will lose two members this summer, as UTEP is leaving for the Mountain West.
— The Athletic’s Matt Baker contributed reporting.
Apr 21, 2026
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