Jeremy Harper Appalachian State, Arkansas State Athletics, Baseball, Cajuns, Coastal Carolina, Football, G5, Georgia Southern Eagles, Georgia State Panthers, James Madison University, July Content, Louisiana, Marshall, Old Dominion, Red Wolves, South Alabama, Southern Miss, Sun Belt, Texas State, Troy, Troy Trojans, ULM

The Case for Adding Louisiana Tech to the Sun Belt

The Bulldogs’ Achievements on the Field Don’t Warrant the Snobbery

While recording the latest episode of FunBelt Podcast, Thomas Gleaton (a guest from The Trojan Wall) revealed that users of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs’ message board were referring to the Sun Belt as “The Sun Belch.” Perfect! Delightfully juvenile and endearingly simplistic. Sun Belch. No notes.

Nobody seems to want Louisiana Tech in the Sun Belt. Conference old timers like Louisiana, Arkansas State and ULM have nothing but caustic memories of the Blue & Red. Bulldogs fans themselves seem conflicted, perhaps believing what many fan bases believe of their own favorite teams – that the Power 4 invited will come knocking any day now.

Most confounding detractors are those from the Sun Belt East, some of whom are recently inducted members who seem a little full of themselves (one social media poster referred to an imaginary cabal comprised of Appalachian State, James Madison, Coastal Carolina and Marshall as “The Big Four”). Where this derision comes from is uncertain, except to say there is strong feelings among some of them that East Carolina would make a for a stronger addition than Louisiana Tech. Basically, fanbases within the Eastern tribes are far more interested in renewing their own old rivalries than seeing programs from the West renew their own.

What might surprise many fans of these East-based universities is that Louisiana Tech is largely superior to them in a variety of ways. For the sake of succinctness, let’s bullet the points:

  • As an academic institution, East Carolina does rank higher than Louisiana Tech. But LT ranks higher than Appalachian State, Marshall, Georgia Southern and Coastal Carolina– and are even with ODU. Adding Louisiana Tech will not lower the GPA.
  • As a football program, Louisiana Tech has played at the highest college level since 1989, far longer than Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, James Madison, ODU, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, and Marshall. Your FCS success, while good for nostalgia, means nothing in the FBS.
  • Louisiana Tech has 69 NFL Draft picks, more than Coastal (9), JMU (16), ODU (5), Appalachian State (33), Georgia Southern (15), Marshall (47) and Georgia State (4). The football team has spent 6 weeks in the AP Top 25 football poll, and the program has had three All-Americans.
  • Bulldogs Men’s Basketball has made five appearances in the NCAA basketball tournament, one fewer times than James Madison, Georgia State and Marshall; more times than Coastal, and Georgia Southern. ODU has appeared 12 times. East Carolina has made the tournament two times, the last in 1993.
  • Louisiana Tech has made the NCAA Baseball Tournament 7 times. The Bulldogs have won three NCAA Division I women’s basketball national championships. The softball team has made the NCAA Tournament 11 times, and the WCWS three times.

Despite these accolades, there is a mood brewing in the Sun Belt East that Louisiana Tech would make for a subpar addition. One glance at the provided bullet points will tell you this qualm has no basis in fact – what exists is some kind of mysterious stigma unrelated to on-field performance. The fact that the Sun Belt WEST has lost a member, leaving the division sorely missing a rival, doesn’t compute at all with Sun Belt East thinking.

Of course, undergirding all disdain for Louisiana Tech joining the Sun Belt is former Bulldogs AD Tommy McClelland disparaging the Sun Belt as an inferior conference (one that he said Louisiana should aspire to “step up” to). The comments were of the highest comedy, and McClelland reminded everyone why everybody hates Louisiana Tech, but McCelland is no longer in Rustin or Conference USA. Why stagger progress for an old grudge?

Boisterous SBC East fans can refer to themselves as The Big Four all they want, and Sun Belt OGs can recall their least favorite Bulldogs’ moments until the cows come home; this isn’t their call. Ultimately, it falls upon Keith Gill and the conference member presidents. It is my opinion that Commissioner Gill could simply stand pat for a year and see what chunks are left after the inevitable ACC explosion. Take your time vetting candidates like Ohio, Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Rice, UAB and yes, East Carolina and Louisiana Tech. Heck, perhaps thy all can have a place in the new Sun Belch.

IMAGE: an AI monstrosity