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
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