The University of Louisiana System filed a lawsuit on behalf of Louisiana Tech against Conference USA Wednesday. In July, LA Tech announced plans of exiting the conference to join the Sun Belt before the 2026 football season, but the move has been delayed thanks to pushback from Conference USA and bylaws that require 14-month notice. Louisiana Tech published an official statement about the lawsuit yesterday.
“Today, Louisiana Tech took a necessary step in the best interest of its student athletes. When we joined Conference USA in 2013, its membership was different, its scheduling was different, and the landscape of college athletics was very different. 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.
“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. 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.”
Lincoln Parish Journal Publisher Malcolm Butler said similar conference bylaws didn’t stop an exodus of member schools during the 2021-2022 season.
“Marshall, Southern Miss, Old Dominion, they didn’t tell Conference USA until late October that year that they were gonna be departing, and they left eight months later,” said Butler.
The suit claims Louisiana Tech approached Conference USA with a financial offer providing the two full years of conference distributions which CUSA is entitled to. The conference responded with a proposal that included NCAA distributions for player welfare typically given to schools but done so through conferences, a difference Butler estimated to be more than $2 million.
He said, “[Louisiana Tech officials] have said, we do understand that we owe the league money, but we don’t agree with what they’re stipulating that some of those funds that they feel like we’re owed or they can withhold from the university are.”
In 2022, Conference USA initially released a conference schedule including Southern Miss, Marshall, and Old Dominion as they negotiated an exit before releasing a final one without them. With 2026 conference schedule releases already underway Butler said the clock is ticking.
“Neither Conference USA nor the Sun Belt have released their football schedules for this upcoming fall because of this, so you got to feel like this is gonna have to move fairly quickly,” said Butler. “It’ll be interesting to see.”
The 2025 CUSA schedule was announced Feb. 6, and the Sun Belt releases its Feb. 28.