The wooden boot is on the line again when Louisiana rolls up I-49 to Monroe, and the Cajuns have owned this rivalry lately.
Bush’s Picks
ULULM
ULULM
OverUnder
Best BetLouisiana
Louisiana enters as the clearly more talented roster, picked 2nd in the Sun Belt West with a returning quarterback and skill talent, while ULM is still hunting its first winning season since 2012. The Cajuns have also won 3 straight in this series. Back Louisiana to keep that streak going on the road.
Louisiana
+Picked 2nd in Sun Belt West by coaches
+Returning QB Lunch Winfield and WR Shelton Sampson
+Won last 3 meetings in this rivalry
−Three straight 6-7 seasons under Desormeaux
−Young roster still building consistency
UL Monroe
+New OC Jesse Montalto brought in to fix stagnant offense
+LB Noah Flemmings anchors a veteran defense
+Pushed Louisiana to overtime in last year's meeting
−No winning season since 2012
−Offense averaged just 16.6 PPG last season
This one's for the Battle on the Bayou boot, and Louisiana has held it since 2023. Michael Desormeaux enters his 5th year in Lafayette with a roster the Sun Belt coaches actually believe in, picking the Cajuns to finish 2nd in the West after three straight 6-7 seasons that left fans wanting more. Lunch Winfield returns at quarterback, Shelton Sampson's back at receiver, and Brent Gordon anchors the secondary. The pieces are there. Whether Desormeaux's group finally breaks through instead of hovering around .500 is the story of Louisiana's whole season, and Thursday, November 12 is a game they should be circling as a get-right spot on paper.
UL Monroe is coming from a much different place. Bryant Vincent is in year 3 trying to end one of the longest droughts in FBS — ULM hasn't had a winning season since 2012. Last year's offense limped to just 16.6 points and 323 yards per game, numbers new offensive coordinator Jesse Montalto was brought in specifically to fix. Vincent has leaned on the transfer portal to speed up the rebuild, and linebacker Noah Flemmings gives the defense a veteran piece to build around. The 2025 meeting with Louisiana went to overtime in Lafayette before the Cajuns pulled it out, so this isn't a program that's rolling over even when it's overmatched on paper.
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UL Louisiana
ULM UL Monroe
History says this series is closer than the overall talent gap suggests — 5 of the last 7 meetings between these two have been decided by 6 points or less. Louisiana's won the last 3 outright, but ULM has made a habit of hanging around into the 4th quarter, including that overtime finish a season ago. A rivalry game on a Thursday night, with both programs looking to plant a flag for very different reasons, has the ingredients for another tight one even if the roster talent doesn't line up evenly.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Nov 6?vs South Alabama—
Oct 16?vs Troy—
Oct 9?@ Louisiana Tech—
Oct 2?vs Arkansas State—
Sep 25?@ Charlotte—
Sep 19?vs UAB—
Sep 12?@ USC—
Sep 5?vs Lamar—
UL Monroe Warhawks
Nov 7?@ Arkansas State—
Oct 30?vs Southern Miss—
Oct 16?vs Louisiana Tech—
Oct 2?@ South Alabama—
Sep 25?vs Florida Atlantic—
Sep 19?vs SE Louisiana—
Sep 12?@ UAB—
Sep 5?@ Mississippi State—
Recent form.
For Louisiana, this is about proving the preseason hype is earned rather than another false start. For UL Monroe, every game against an in-state rival with more talent is a measuring stick for how far Montalto's offense and Vincent's roster rebuild have actually come. Neither storyline resolves in July, but Thursday, November 12 in Monroe is exactly the kind of test that tells you which team is really moving in the right direction.
