• Football
  • LA Tech Reaches Settlement With C-USA, Clearing Path To Join Sun Belt This Summer

LA Tech Reaches Settlement With C-USA, Clearing Path To Join Sun Belt This Summer

Details
Football

(BCSNN)) — Conference USA and Louisiana Tech have reached a settlement that will allow the Bulldogs to depart the league this summer and join the Sun Belt Conference for the 2026–27 academic year, the parties announced Monday. The agreement ends months of dispute — including a lawsuit — and accelerates a move Louisiana Tech has long viewed as strategically essential.

Neither side disclosed financial terms of the settlement, though both issued statements signaling relief and a desire to move forward.

“Conference USA is pleased to have reached a positive resolution with Louisiana Tech that fully acknowledges our governing documents,” the league said. “We look forward to continued success and impact in the national landscape, driven by the collective strength and shared vision of our 10 member institutions.”

Louisiana Tech called the outcome “a fair and equitable agreement,” adding that the transition to the Sun Belt in July will strengthen the program’s long‑term health.

“The move to the Sun Belt Conference in July is one that will benefit the health and well‑being of our student‑athletes, the fiscal stability of our athletics department, and the economic vitality of our entire region,” the school said.

Louisiana Tech accepted a Sun Belt invitation last summer with an initial timeline of no later than July 1, 2027, but made clear it preferred to join earlier. Negotiations stalled, prompting the University of Louisiana System to file a lawsuit in March seeking to compel C‑USA to allow the Bulldogs to exit on June 30.

The settlement ends that legal battle and finalizes a realignment move that places Louisiana Tech alongside in‑state rivals Louisiana‑Lafayette and Louisiana‑Monroe, as well as regional opponents such as Southern Miss and South Alabama.

Both Conference USA and the Sun Belt had released 2026 football schedules that included Louisiana Tech, underscoring the uncertainty surrounding the Bulldogs’ status. C‑USA is also preparing for the departure of UTEP, which is bound for the Mountain West.

For Louisiana Tech, the agreement brings clarity and positions the program within a geographically aligned, rivalry‑rich conference that has grown steadily in football relevance.