Sun Belt West Race: The Cajuns’ Path to the Conference Title Game

LAFAYETTE, La. — The Ragin’ Cajuns can still win the Sun Belt West Division and earn a spot for the conference title, but they will have to do it with a loss on the record that makes things more complicated.

Louisiana fell 32-31 at Louisiana Tech on Oct. 10 on a Bulldogs touchdown with 46 seconds left. Tech leads the division at 2-0 in league play, and Louisiana is 2-1 with five conference games to go. The Cajuns (5-2 overall) bounced back with a 33-6 win over Troy on Oct. 17 at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium, rushing for 243 yards and three touchdowns.

From here, Louisiana has to finish with more conference wins than Louisiana Tech, because a two-team tie goes to the Bulldogs. Saturday’s game at Southern Miss also puts bowl eligibility on the line.

Get our free mobile app

Where Louisiana Stands in the Sun Belt West Race

As of Friday, Oct. 23, the West standings are:

Louisiana Tech is 2-0 (4-2)
Louisiana is 2-1 (5-2)
South Alabama is 2-1 (4-3)
Troy is 1-1 (3-3)
Arkansas State is 1-2 (3-4)
Southern Miss is 0-2 (1-5)
ULM is 0-2 (0-6).

Louisiana Tech joined the Sun Belt on July 1 and took the West Division spot Texas State left behind. Each team plays eight conference games, and the division champion is the team with the best winning percentage in all of them, including games against East Division opponents.

Why the Louisiana Tech Tiebreaker Matters

Under the Sun Belt’s tiebreaker rules, a two-team tie goes first to the head-to-head result. Louisiana Tech beat Louisiana, so the Bulldogs win any two-team tie for the division title. The Cajuns led 31-19 with 11:34 left in Ruston before Tech scored twice within the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter.

The two teams do not play again this season, so Louisiana cannot catch Tech by matching its record. The Cajuns have to finish ahead of it.

What Louisiana Needs: The Scenarios

Louisiana has five conference games left, and Louisiana Tech has six. Louisiana needs to win more of its remaining league games than Tech wins of its remaining league games.

If Louisiana wins out, it finishes 7-1. Tech would then need to lose at least two of its last six to finish 6-2 or worse. If Tech loses just once, it also finishes 7-1, and the tiebreaker goes to the Bulldogs.

If Louisiana loses once more and finishes 6-2, Tech has to lose at least three of its final six. Every additional Cajun loss adds one more Tech loss to the requirement. These scenarios assume a two-team race, and a third team in the mix changes the tiebreaker steps covered below.

Louisiana’s Remaining Conference Schedule

The Cajuns’ league schedule has five games left, with an open date on Oct. 31.

Louisiana visits Southern Miss (1-5, 0-2 in the Sun Belt) on Saturday, Oct. 24, with gametime set for 4 p.m. South Alabama (2-1 in the Sun Belt) comes to Lafayette on Saturday, Nov. 7. Then it’s a Thursday night trip to ULM (0-6, 0-2) on Nov. 12 at 8 p.m.

Then, Coastal Carolina (2-5, 1-2) visits Lafayette on Saturday, Nov. 21, and Louisiana closes the regular season at Georgia State (4-2, 1-1) on Saturday, Nov. 28.

Louisiana Tech’s Remaining Conference Schedule

Louisiana Tech’s remaining slate has six league games. The Bulldogs host Old Dominion on Saturday, Oct. 24, then travel to South Alabama on Oct. 31 and Troy on Nov. 7.

Southern Miss visits Ruston on Nov. 14, and Arkansas State follows the next week, and Tech finishes at Georgia Southern on Nov. 28.

What Happens If Three Teams Tie

South Alabama (2-1) and Troy (1-1) are still in the race, so a three-team tie is possible. In that case, the first tiebreaker is winning percentage in games among the tied teams only. If that does not settle it, the next step is overall winning percentage in division games.

So far, the Cajuns have a win over Troy, a loss to Louisiana Tech, and a game with South Alabama still to play on Nov. 7.

What the Sun Belt Championship Game Looks Like

The two division champions meet on Friday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT) on ESPN, and the champion with the better conference record hosts.

Louisiana has earned the West’s spot in five of the eight seasons since the game began, though the 2020 game was canceled. Troy has earned it in the other three. James Madison, led by former Cajuns head coach Billy Napier, leads the East at 4-1 in league play.

What Happens Next for Louisiana

The Cajuns’ next test is Saturday at Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, and the stakes go beyond the division race. A win would give Louisiana its sixth victory and bowl eligibility for the ninth consecutive season, and it would keep the Cajuns in the picture for the Sun Belt Championship Game.

Southern Miss (1-5, 0-2 in the Sun Belt) arrives on a five-game losing streak after a 23-13 loss to Arkansas State on Oct. 17. Cajuns head coach Michael Desormeaux addressed the matchup this week. “You go into every game expecting a dogfight in this league,” Desormeaux said.

Saturday is Louisiana’s eighth game in as many weeks, and an open date follows on Oct. 31. The Cajuns control only their own five remaining games, and each one counts toward the tiebreaker math above. Louisiana Tech’s remaining six will decide whether a 7-1 or 6-2 finish is enough.

You May Also Like

3 Ragin' Cajuns Football Wins Lafayette Will Never Forget

From a goalpost-toppling upset to a 40-point Homecoming miracle, Ragin' Cajuns football has delivered some Saturdays Lafayette still talks about decades later. Here's a look back at three of the biggest wins in program history.

Gallery Credit: Dave Steel