The 2026 Sun Belt Conference football schedule has been released, and it arrives with an unusual twist: one of its listed members also appears on Conference USA’s 2026 slate.
For 2026, the Sun Belt officially loses Texas State, which departs for the Pac-12 Conference. To maintain its 14‑team structure, the league had planned to add Louisiana Tech from Conference USA. But that transition has hit a procedural snag.
Louisiana Tech—operating under the authority of the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors—is currently embroiled in a legal dispute regarding its early exit from Conference USA. A hearing in the case is scheduled for Thursday, March 19, leaving the Bulldogs’ 2026 conference home in limbo.
Despite the unresolved litigation, Conference USA released its 2026 football schedule at 9:40 p.m. ET on Thursday, and it included Louisiana Tech as a full league member. That placement may not hold, depending on the outcome of the pending legal process and any negotiated settlement between the parties.
A similar situation unfolded in 2022, when Conference USA’s initial schedule included Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss before ultimately revising the slate once those schools’ departures were finalized. The Louisiana Tech case could follow a comparable trajectory, with both leagues preparing contingency plans as the legal timeline plays out.
On the schedule released today by the Sun Belt, Louisiana Tech joins 13 returning members: Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, James Madison, Louisiana, Marshall, Old Dominion, South Alabama, Southern Miss, Troy, and ULM.
Featured 2026 non-conference match-ups for each Sun Belt team include Appalachian State at NC State, Arkansas State at TCU, Coastal Carolina at West Virginia, Georgia Southern at Clemson, Georgia State at UCF, Liberty at James Madison, Louisiana at USC, Louisiana Tech at LSU, Marshall at Penn State, Old Dominion at Virginia Tech, South Alabama at Kentucky, Southern Miss at Auburn, Troy at Missouri, and ULM at Mississippi State.
The Sun Belt continues to be the only FBS conference to keep a division format. The 2026 Sun Belt Football Championship Game will be played on Saturday, Dec. 5 at the home stadium of the East or West Division winner and it will be televised by ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2.
Kickoff times and networks for all midweek games and weekend games in the first three weeks of the season will be selected in late May, along with the date for the Arkansas State at Louisiana Tech game. All other games will fall into the traditional 12-day selection process. The 2026 season will be the 15th-consecutive season that every Sun Belt football home game will appear on an ESPN platform.
The 2026 season will be the 15th-consecutive season that every Sun Belt football home game will appear on an ESPN platform.
Saturday, Sept. 5 Maine at App State Arkansas State at Memphis Coastal Carolina at West Virginia Charleston Southern at Georgia Southern North Carolina A&T at Georgia State Liberty at James Madison Lamar at Louisiana ULM at Mississippi State Northwestern State at Louisiana Tech Marshall at Penn State Norfolk State at Old Dominion Southeastern Louisiana at South Alabama Alcorn State at Southern Miss Sam Houston at Troy
Saturday, Sept. 12 App State at East Carolina West Georgia at Arkansas State Fordham at Coastal Carolina Georgia Southern at Clemson Georgia State at Kennesaw State Wagner at James Madison Louisiana at USC ULM at UAB Louisiana Tech at LSU Middle Tennessee at Marshall Old Dominion at Virginia Tech South Alabama at Tulane Southern Miss at Auburn Alabama State at Troy
Saturday, Sept. 19 Charlotte at App State Arkansas State at TCU Coastal Carolina at Delaware Georgia Southern at Jacksonville State Georgia State at UCF James Madison at San Diego State UAB at Louisiana Southeastern Louisiana at ULM Louisiana Tech at Baylor Marshall at Missouri State East Carolina at Old Dominion Ohio at South Alabama UConn at Southern Miss Troy at Missouri
Thursday, Sept. 24 Liberty at Coastal Carolina
Saturday, Sept. 26 App State at North Carolina State Kennesaw State at Arkansas State Houston at Georgia Southern Northern Illinois at Georgia State Louisiana at Charlotte Florida Atlantic at ULM Gardner-Webb at Marshall James Madison at Old Dominion* South Alabama at Kentucky Southern Miss at Tulane Troy at Utah State
Saturday, Oct. 3 Georgia Southern at Coastal Carolina* Old Dominion at Georgia State* Marshall at James Madison* Arkansas State at Louisiana* Army at Louisiana Tech ULM at South Alabama*
Tuesday, Oct. 6 Southern Miss at Troy*
Thursday, Oct. 8 South Alabama at Arkansas State*
Saturday, Oct. 10 Old Dominion at App State* James Madison at Georgia Southern* Louisiana at Louisiana Tech* Coastal Carolina at Marshall*
Thursday, Oct. 15 Georgia Southern at Old Dominion*
Friday, Oct. 16 App State at Coastal Carolina*
Saturday, Oct. 17 Georgia State at James Madison* Troy at Louisiana* Louisiana Tech at ULM* Arkansas State at Southern Miss*
Tuesday, Oct. 20 South Alabama at Marshall*
Thursday, Oct. 22 James Madison at App State*
Saturday, Oct. 24 Georgia State at Arkansas State* Old Dominion at Louisiana Tech* Louisiana at Southern Miss* ULM at Troy*
Thursday, Oct. 29 Troy at James Madison*
Saturday, Oct. 31 App State at Georgia Southern* Coastal Carolina at Georgia State* Southern Miss at ULM* Marshall at Old Dominion* Louisiana Tech at South Alabama*
Thursday, Nov. 5 James Madison at Southern Miss*
Saturday, Nov. 7 Georgia State at App State* ULM at Arkansas State* Old Dominion at Coastal Carolina* Marshall at Georgia Southern* South Alabama at Louisiana* Louisiana Tech at Troy*
Thursday, Nov. 12 Louisiana at ULM*
Saturday, Nov. 14 Arkansas State at Coastal Carolina* Georgia Southern at Georgia State* James Madison at UConn Southern Miss at Louisiana Tech* App State at Marshall* Troy at South Alabama*
Thursday, Nov. 19 (or Nov. 20-21) Arkansas State at Louisiana Tech*
Saturday, Nov. 21 ULM at App State* Coastal Carolina at Louisiana* Georgia State at Marshall* Old Dominion at UConn South Alabama at Southern Miss* Georgia Southern at Troy*
Saturday, Nov. 28 Troy at Arkansas State* Louisiana Tech at Georgia Southern* Louisiana at Georgia State* Coastal Carolina at James Madison* Marshall at ULM* Southern Miss at Old Dominion* App State at South Alabama*
Friday, Dec. 4 Credit Union 1 Sun Belt Football Championship presented by Visit Pensacola
