If conference realignment meant breaking the backs of athletes, no school would pursue such a move. However, this one-of-a-kind dilemma is now faced by Louisiana Tech. Thanks to an ugly battle between the school and the Conference USA, the Bulldogs are slated to play 20 games. You read that number right.

The 20 games are split between two conferences. Louisiana Tech is leaving the C-USA to join the Sun Belt Conference. However, the former conference continues to attach itself to the program, because it won’t accept the terms offered by it. But the Sun Belt isn’t waiting around either. The two conferences dropped their schedules a day apart, and Louisiana Tech features on both of them.

Things are okay for the first three games the Bulldogs are supposed to play; they happen at a weekly interval. But then, conference play begins in both homes for the team, which shortens that interval. Louisiana Tech plays FIU on October 8 (a C-USA game) and Louisiana on October 10 (a Sun Belt game). To make matters worse, the Bulldogs might have two games on a single day! Both conferences have the program playing their respective games on Nov 7. All because C-USA won’t take the money that’s being offered by Louisiana Tech.

The program made their intention clear on June 15 last year that they will be moving to the Sun Belt on July 1, 2026. According to Bulldogs top brass, they believe it was more than enough notice time for a reasonable exit fee. But C-USA wants two years’ worth of the money, and highlighted that bylaws require at least 14 months’ of notice before a program moves out. The two parties have deliberated upon this situation multiple times, but could not arrive at a solution. The Bulldogs simply saw the Sun Belt as a more competitive environment, which is why they were moving.

Back in July, the Sun Belt Conference came calling, and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs didn’t hesitate to jump aboard. The pitch was simple: to rekindle in-state rivalries with the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns and the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks . It also aimed at placing the Bulldogs back in the Gulf South mix alongside Southern Miss Golden Eagles and South Alabama Jaguars.

This type of scheduling drama between the Conference USA and the Sun Belt Conference is not new. In 2022, Conference USA’s original schedule still listed Marshall Thundering Herd football, Old Dominion Monarchs football, and Southern Miss Golden Eagles football despite them being slated to be part of the Sun Belt. Eventually, the latter conference integrated all three programs for that season. To join that party soon, a fed up Louisiana Tech has taken the C-USA to court. 

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and Conference USA’s legal battles continue

The Bulldogs are relying on the University of Louisiana System to make things easier for them. The latter filed a lawsuit against Conference USA roughly a week after the schedules dropped. In a statement from the school, there is a clear explanation of why they have resorted to this extreme move.

“We have worked in good faith toward an amicable separation within conference bylaws,” the statement read. “The proposed 2026 football schedule drafted by CUSA left us no choice but to pursue this remedy.

“Our move to the Sun Belt enhances the experience of our student athletes, renews regional rivalries, and significantly benefits the Louisiana economy. Additionally CUSA has previously acknowledged the difficulty of crafting an 11-team schedule if we were to remain next year,” the school said in a statement. “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.”

The school seeks an injunction to allow the school to join the Sun Belt in 2026 and for the bylaws to not be applied to their case, among other things. Interestingly, the other schools who also moved out from the conference to join the Sun Belt also had to file lawsuits against C-USA. At the end, the league dropped them from the schedule. The matter is scheduled for a March 19 hearing.