Inside the Conference Fight That Left Louisiana Tech With 20 Games

Louisiana Tech’s impending move from Conference USA (CUSA) to the Sun Belt Conference has created an increasingly messy conflict between the two Group of 6 leagues, sources tell Front Office Sports.

Last week, college football fans were slightly confused when CUSA and the Sun Belt released their 2026 football schedules, and both included full slates of league games involving Louisiana Tech. Between the two conference schedules, Louisiana Tech is scheduled to play 20 games in 2026, which is eight more than the 12 allowed by the NCAA without a special waiver.

Before the schedule releases, CUSA had notified the Sun Belt that it was including Louisiana Tech on its 2026 schedule, and CUSA leaders were under the impression the Sun Belt was waiting for CUSA and Louisiana Tech to resolve the dispute around the school’s exit, sources tell FOS.

Earlier this month, Louisiana Tech sued CUSA in an effort to leave the conference ahead of the 2026 college football season. In July 2025, Louisiana Tech—a CUSA member since 2014—announced it would join the Sun Belt no later than July 1, 2027, as CUSA requires a 14-month notice prior to departure.

However, CUSA officials last week learned that the Sun Belt was planning to include Louisiana Tech on its schedule, which was ultimately released Friday, which led to CUSA pushing its schedule out—also with Louisiana Tech—on Thursday night, according to sources. 

On Louisiana Tech’s website, its schedule correlates with the Sun Belt’s, and there is no mention of CUSA. Season tickets are on sale, but individual game tickets are not yet available.

While Louisiana Tech has made multiple offers to depart CUSA early, the conference feels that none of those offers have come close to the commitments the schools made in the five-year grant of rights it signed in 2023, sources say.

Louisiana Tech, in a statement released after the lawsuit was filed, said, “Seven months ago, we notified CUSA of our intent to exit in July 2026. We have worked in good faith toward an amicable separation within conference bylaws. The proposed 2026 football schedule drafted by CUSA left us no choice but to pursue this remedy. … We have tried to offer a fair financial resolution to this dispute and are hopeful that we can resolve it without resorting to prolonged litigation.”

CUSA, which counts CBS Sports and ESPN as its football broadcast partners, still owns the media rights to Louisiana Tech’s home games for the 2026 season, pending a settlement for the school to exit early. The Sun Belt’s football media rights deal is with ESPN.

CUSA would drop from 11 teams to 10 if Louisiana Tech leaves. The Sun Belt would grow from 13 teams to 14 if they add Louisiana Tech.

CUSA, the Sun Belt, and Louisiana Tech did not provide comment to FOS for this story.