Sun Belt Releases 2026 Schedule Amid Ongoing Issues with Louisiana Tech, Conference USA
Abdul Abusada • March 13, 2026
The Sun Belt Conference announced its "set" 2026 football schedule today, which includes the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.
Normally, it does not take this long for the Sun Belt to release their annual football schedule. But ongoing issues between Louisiana Tech and Conference USA has complicated the process and delayed the schedule releases for both conferences.
That said, I would take this "set" schedule release with a grain of salt (with heavy emphasis on the quotation marks).
A few days ago, reports surfaced that the Sun Belt would indeed release its football schedule today and that it would include Louisiana Tech. The Bulldogs have already accepted an invite to join the Sun Belt last July, and is pushing to make the move this summer, pending a court ruling next week.
Late Thursday night, however, Conference USA unexpectedly released its own "set" 2026 football schedule out of nowhere, which also includes Louisiana Tech as one of its member schools. The timing itself raised eyebrows, making it seem like the conference did it out of pettiness to release their version of the schedule with the Bulldogs included prior to the Sun Belt's scheduled Friday release, which was also set to include the Bulldogs.
As a result, Louisiana Tech is technically listed as a member of both conferences according to the newly released schedules. Of course, the Bulldogs cannot play in two conferences at once, which is why both schedule releases should be viewed as tentative for now.
A court ruling between the UL System (which oversees Louisiana Tech) and Conference USA is currently rumored to take place on Thursday next week (March 19th). The decision at this rumored hearing is expected to have a solution on whether Louisiana Tech can move to the Sun Belt in the summer or remain in the Conference USA for one more year before making the move in the summer of 2027.
Until then, it is a wait-and-see game for members of both the Sun Belt and Conference USA. Ultimately, one of these newly released schedules will be right, while the other will be forced to change. But it is in the best interest that both sides have their backup non-Louisiana Tech schedules ready to go in case the ruling swings one way over the other.
Here is the 2026 Sun Belt Football Schedule, per the Sun Belt Conference:
TEAM-BY-TEAM SCHEDULES
SUN BELT EAST DIVISION
APP STATE
9/5 Maine
9/12 at East Carolina
9/19 Charlotte
9/26 at North Carolina State
10/10 Old Dominion*
10/16 at Coastal Carolina*
10/22 James Madison*
10/31 at Georgia Southern*
11/7 Georgia State*
11/14 at Marshall*
11/21 ULM*
11/28 at South Alabama*
COASTAL CAROLINA
9/5 at West Virginia
9/12 Fordham
9/19 at Delaware
9/24 Liberty
10/3 Georgia Southern*
10/10 at Marshall*
10/16 App State*
10/31 at Georgia State*
11/7 Old Dominion*
11/14 Arkansas State*
11/21 at Louisiana*
11/28 at James Madison*
GEORGIA SOUTHERN
9/5 Charleston Southern
9/12 at Clemson
9/19 at Jacksonville State
9/26 Houston
10/3 at Coastal Carolina*
10/10 James Madison*
10/15 at Old Dominion*
10/31 App State*
11/7 Marshall*
11/14 at Georgia State*
11/21 at Troy*
11/28 Louisiana Tech*
GEORGIA STATE
9/5 North Carolina A&T
9/12 at Kennesaw State
9/19 at UCF
9/26 Northern Illinois
10/3 Old Dominion*
10/17 at James Madison*
10/24 at Arkansas State*
10/31 Coastal Carolina*
11/7 at App State*
11/14 Georgia Southern*
11/21 at Marshall*
11/28 Louisiana*
JAMES MADISON
9/5 Liberty
9/12 Wagner
9/19 at San Diego State
9/26 at Old Dominion*
10/3 Marshall*
10/10 at Georgia Southern*
10/17 Georgia State*
10/22 at App State*
10/29 Troy*
11/5 at Southern Miss*
11/14 at UConn
11/28 Coastal Carolina*
MARSHALL
9/5 at Penn State
9/12 Middle Tennessee
9/19 at Missouri State
9/26 Gardner-Webb
10/3 at James Madison*
10/10 Coastal Carolina*
10/20 South Alabama*
10/31 at Old Dominion*
11/7 at Georgia Southern*
11/14 App State*
11/21 Georgia State*
11/28 at ULM*
OLD DOMINION
9/5 Norfolk State
9/12 at Virginia Tech
9/19 East Carolina
9/26 James Madison*
10/3 at Georgia State*
10/10 at App State*
10/15 Georgia Southern*
10/24 at Louisiana Tech*
10/31 Marshall*
11/7 at Coastal Carolina*
11/21 at UConn
11/28 Southern Miss*
SUN BELT WEST DIVISION
ARKANSAS STATE
9/5 at Memphis
9/12 West Georgia
9/19 at TCU
9/26 Kennesaw State
10/3 at Louisiana*
10/8 South Alabama*
10/17 at Southern Miss*
10/24 Georgia State*
11/7 ULM*
11/14 at Coastal Carolina*
TBA^ at Louisiana Tech*
11/28 Troy*
LOUISIANA
9/5 Lamar
9/12 at USC
9/19 UAB
9/26 at Charlotte
10/3 Arkansas State*
10/10 at Louisiana Tech*
10/17 Troy*
10/24 at Southern Miss*
11/7 South Alabama*
11/12 at ULM*
11/21 Coastal Carolina*
11/28 at Georgia State*
ULM
9/5 at Mississippi State
9/12 at UAB
9/19 Southeastern Louisiana
9/26 Florida Atlantic
10/3 at South Alabama*
10/17 Louisiana Tech*
10/24 at Troy*
10/31 Southern Miss*
11/7 at Arkansas State*
11/12 Louisiana*
11/21 at App State*
11/28 Marshall*
LOUISIANA TECH
9/5 Northwestern State
9/12 at LSU
9/19 at Baylor
10/3 Army
10/10 Louisiana*
10/17 at ULM*
10/24 Old Dominion*
10/31 at South Alabama*
11/7 at Troy*
11/14 Southern Miss*
TBA^ Arkansas State*
11/28 at Georgia Southern*
SOUTH ALABAMA
9/5 Southeastern Louisiana
9/12 at Tulane
9/19 Ohio
9/26 at Kentucky
10/3 ULM*
10/8 at Arkansas State*
10/20 at Marshall*
10/31 Louisiana Tech*
11/7 at Louisiana*
11/14 Troy*
11/21 at Southern Miss*
11/28 App State*
SOUTHERN MISS
9/5 Alcorn State
9/12 at Auburn
9/19 UConn
9/26 at Tulane
10/6 at Troy*
10/17 Arkansas State*
10/24 Louisiana*
10/31 at ULM*
11/5 James Madison*
11/14 at Louisiana Tech*
11/21 South Alabama*
11/28 at Old Dominion*
TROY
9/5 Sam Houston
9/12 Alabama State
9/19 at Missouri
9/26 at Utah State
10/6 Southern Miss*
10/17 at Louisiana*
10/24 ULM*
10/29 at James Madison*
11/7 Louisiana Tech*
11/14 at South Alabama*
11/21 Georgia Southern*
11/28 at Arkansas State*
* Sun Belt Conference Game
^ TBA as 11/19, 11/20 or 11/21
A quick share helps us a lot!
The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns were made aware of their 2026 Sun Belt Conference football schedule on Friday. The schedule includes in-state rival and Sun Belt Conference newcomer Louisiana Tech, who is replacing Texas State. All six home games this season will be played on Saturdays, beginning with a home opener meeting with the Lamar Cardinals on September 5th. They will also host an American Conference member, the UAB Blazers, on September 19th before opening up Sun Belt play against the Arkansas State Red Wolves on October 3rd. Louisiana will also host the Troy Trojans on October 17th, the South Alabama Jaguars on November 7th, and the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on November 21st to close out their home slate. On the road, the Cajuns will play in Los Angeles, California against the USC Trojans on September 12th and in Charlotte, North Carolina against the Charlotte 49ers on September 26th. They will then take a trip up to Ruston to face the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on October 10th. Their remaining away games include another rival in the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on October 24th, the ULM Warhawks on November 12th in a nationally televised Thursday night contest at Malone Stadium, and the Georgia State Panthers to close out the regular season on November 28th. Kickoff times and TV designations for the first three games, as well as any expected national broadcasts, will be announced in late May. All remaining games' kickoff times are released 12 days prior to each game by ESPN and the Sun Belt Conference. It is important to note that although the SBC and UL label this as the official football schedule, there is an ongoing legal dispute between Conference USA and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs which could alter it. Both conferences currently have Louisiana Tech as a member on each of their schedules. That being said, the Sun Belt schedule (including UL's) and the Conference USA schedule are both subject to change. One of them WILL change, but which one it will be is in the hands of judges and lawyers. For now, this is a tentative schedule until all is resolved. The 2026 Louisiana Football Schedule (home games in bold) September 5th - vs Lamar September 12th - @ USC September 19th - vs UAB September 26th - @ Charlotte October 3rd - vs Arkansas State October 10th - @ Louisiana Tech October 17th - vs Troy October 24th - @ Southern Miss November 7th - vs South Alabama November 12th - @ ULM November 21st - vs Coastal Carolina November 28th - @ Georgia State
For the first four innings tonight, it was starting to feel like the same old story for the Tigers. Despite scoring first, they quickly gave up the lead and then watched their deficit grow to 4-1. Tonight was the night that LSU said “enough”, though, as freshman Omar Serna delivered the biggest swing of his young collegiate career. On the mound, pitching struggled early. Despite the fantastic start by Reagan Ricken, he struggled when returning after his first inning. Ethan Plog was fantastic his last few appearances, but he, too, lost it towards the end of his outing and allowed runs because of it. But after that, the final three pitchers of the night were fantastic for LSU. Creighton failed to score another run after the 3rd inning, which gave the Tiger offense time to finally come out of hibernation. The win improved LSU’s record to 13-5 as they now turn their attention to the meat grinder that is a 30 game SEC schedule. Pitching Reagan Ricken got the start for the Tigers and was fantastic in the 1st. He started things off with a strikeout, then got some help with a nifty play by Steven Milam ranging to his left behind second base and throwing across his body with a beautiful pick at first by Zach Yorke. A pop out would end the top and things were off to a good start. Ricken returned and faced three batters in the 2nd, but didn’t retire any of them. He gave up a lead off single, allowed him to move to second on yet another E1 on a pickoff attempt from an LSU pitcher, then another single tied the game at 1-1. The freshman would walk the next guy and his night was over. As good as his first inning was, the second was the polar opposite. Final line: 1.0 IP / 2 hits / 2 runs / 1 K / 1 BB / 28 pitches (16 strikes, 57%) Dax Dathe entered with runners on 1st and 3rd and his outing got off to a bad start by getting called for a pitch clock violation before even throwing a pitch. He’d follow with three straight balls to load the bases and Jay Johnson had seen enough. Final line: 0.0 IP / 0 hits / 0 runs / 0 K / 1 BB Following another great performance on Saturday, Ethan Plog was called upon in a nearly impossible situation to get out of. He got his first hitter down 0-2, but credit Blue Jay left fielder Lew Rice for getting a bat on the ball for a sacrifice fly to center, giving Creighton a 2-1 lead. They’d attempt a safety squeeze, but the bunt was poor and the batter got called for runner’s lane interference on the throw to 1st. Rocco Gump stepped up with 2 outs and hit a laser that Milam dove across his body and snared to save an extra run, escaping the inning with only 2 runs allowed. Plog returned in the 3rd, but following a strikeout to begin the inning, he lost control, walking two in a row and then hit another. That would be the end of his night. Final line: 1.1 IP / 0 hits / 2 runs / 1 K / 2 BB / 1 HBP Mavrick Rizy entered with the bases loaded and one out, having only allowed 2 hits through his 7 appearances so far. He’d promptly give up his third, scoring 2 more Blue Jays and extending their lead to 4-1. With the infield in, he got a massive ground out to Milam, holding both runners right where they were and following that with a strikeout to prevent more damage. Back for the 4th, Rizy only allowed a single and watched his star center fielder make another full extension catch in right center, adding to Derek Curiel’s extensive highlight real this year. Final line: 1.2 IP / 2 hits / 0 runs / 1 K / 0 BB Deven Sheerin came in for the 5th and allowed a leadoff single. Following his first strikeout looking, Creighton’s Ben North stole 2nd and advanced to 3rd on a throwing error by Omar Serna, setting up yet another scoring opportunity. Sheerin recorded yet another strikeout looking, followed by a groundout to Milam and stranded the leadoff baserunner. Back for the 6th, Sheerin mowed through the Blue Jays with two strikeouts and a flyout. In the 7th, he hit the leadoff batter, then got a ground ball right back to him to secure the first out at 1st. Now surpassing his season high in pitches, his control slipped and he gave up his first walk. His time was done, but Sheerin was phenomenal. Final line: 2.1 IP / 1 hit / 0 runs / 4 Ks / 1 BB With the tying runner on base in a 6-4 game, it was Santiago Garcia who was called upon to enter the jam. It looked as if he hit the first batter he faced and the bases were going to be loaded with just 1 out, but Jay challenged that the batter got intentionally hit and the call was overturned. Garcia then fell behind 2-0 to Isaac Wachsmann, who had already driven in 2 runs, but battled back with a couple of nasty pitches to get the strikeout and end the threat. Back for the 8th, he struck out two and pitched around a bloop double that put a man in scoring position with only 1 out. Garcia returned in the 9th with the opportunity to secure his first save of the season and he did just that with a quick 1-2-3 inning. Like Sheerin, Garcia also surpassed his season high pitch count. Previously, his highest was 29 pitches against Nicholls in game 5 of the season, but he blew past that with 44 tonight. He was outstanding. Final line: 2.2 IP / 1 hit / 0 runs / 4 Ks / 0 BB Hitting The offensive star of the night is Omar Serna and that should serve as no surprise. With the Tigers in a familiar spot where they were trailing halfway though the game, trying to hold on for dear life, and facing another giant opportunity that they could not squander. Despite striking out with the bases loaded in the 1st, Serna found himself in the position yet again. This time, he made it count. He got a 2-0 fastball and blasted it 455 feet in to right center field to give every fan, coach, and player a giant sigh of relief. LSU was up 6-4 and never looked back. He finished 1-3 with the 4 RBI and also drew a walk. If homeruns are being mentioned, there’s a good chance Jake Brown is involved. He hit his 9th of the year to give the Tigers some insurance runs in the 8th inning. He has now surpassed his previous season high of 8, which he hit last year. Brown has been one of the best hitters in the SEC though the first 18 games of the season and is not expected to slow down, considering 6 of his 8 homeruns in 2025 came during conference play. He finished 2-4 with the 2 RBIs, scored 2 runs, and also walked once. Brown did bring in another run in an earlier at bat, but it was credited as an error on Creighton’s second baseman, so he does not get the RBI. Zach Yorke bounced back from a rough weekend with his first multiple hit game in a while. He had 2 singles and finished 2-4 and was hit by a pitch, as well. Yorke also made a few picks on low throws at 1st base, which can easily sneak by on the stat sheet. Steven Milam may have only finished 1-4, but he drove in the first run of the game in the 1st inning to get LSU off to a good start. It appeared as if he was going to pop out in foul territory, but an E2 gave him second life and he took advantage of it. He was also hit by a pitch and scored a run. His defense was, once again, extraordinary. His night was highlighted by a diving catch across his body on a hard hit line drive that would have given the Blue Jays a 5-2 lead earlier in the game. Up Next LSU will travel to Nashville to kick off SEC play against Vanderbilt this weekend. Game one will be Friday with a 6 pm central first pitch. Saturday will start at 7 pm and Sunday has one of the later starts you’ll see for an SEC game with a 3 pm first pitch. The Commodores have arguably had an even rougher start to the season than the Tigers, amassing 7 losses prior to conference play. They beat Indiana State 14-6 tonight to improve to 11-7. Vanderbilt will send ace Conner Fennell to the mound on Friday with a 2-0 record and a 3.80 ERA. He has been tough to hit, only allowing 16 hits through 21.1 inning pitched while striking out 30. Follow me on X @DCBilliotJr for more in-depth previews as the weekend gets closer!