ATLANTA (July 14, 2025) – Prior to Louisiana Tech University’s announcement today on their move to the Sun Belt Conference for all sports, Louisiana Tech had retained Collegiate Consulting to complete a comprehensive Conference Membership Study in support of their internal discussions.
The study focused on assessing sports sponsorship, travel considerations, conference competitiveness, institutional alignment, line-item athletic expenses (scholarships, operating budgets, staffing) and external sources of revenue. Collegiate Consulting also analyzed divisional alignment and potential scheduling options as part of their study.
The study determined that Louisiana Tech is well positioned for membership in the Sun Belt based on institutional and athletic alignment. Its location in northern Louisiana places it within a central footprint of the conference, offering geographic efficiency and reduced travel demands. Louisiana Tech athletic financial aid expenditures are consistent with the Sun Belt averages; and men’s sports operating budgets consistently rank near or above the conference median.
Louisiana Tech’s women’s programs reflect an area of investment focus, as several programs rank below the Sun Belt average. Collegiate Consulting also benchmarked football-specific expenses, which fell in alignment with Sun Belt program metrics. These findings supported the conclusion that Louisiana Tech represents a strong institutional and athletic fit within the Sun Belt.
Collegiate Consulting has previous experience with Sun Belt institutions, having conducted FBS Feasibility Study for Georgia State (2012) and Appalachian State (2011); Operational Assessment for Southern Miss (2014) and Financial & Benchmarking Analysis for Louisiana (2016) as well as Financial Benchmarking Reports for Arkansas State; James Madison; Marshall; Old Dominion; and Troy in the past decade. In addition, to the previous reference projects, Collegiate Consulting is currently working on three conference realignment studies.