Louisiana Tech and South Alabama are about to be conference mates for the first time, and this early-season look already carries a real gap in where each program is trending.
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LTUSA
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Best BetLouisiana Tech
Louisiana Tech is the more complete team walking into this one — an 8-5 bowl-winning season, a defense that returns its coordinator and most of its pieces, and a program with real momentum. South Alabama's floor is lower until Todd Orlando's defense proves it's fixed, and Davenport alone wasn't enough to get the Jaguars to a winning record last year.
Louisiana Tech
+8-5 in 2025, won the Independence Bowl
+Luke Olson's defense returns, projects as Sun Belt-best
+new DC Todd Orlando brought in to fix the defense
−Finished 4-8, 3-5 in Sun Belt last season
−lost lead back Kentrel Bullock
−Traevon Dunbar still limited by spring injury
South Alabama hands the ball to Bishop Davenport again, and that's the easy part of this preview. He threw for 2,072 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, added 326 yards and 9 more scores on the ground, and completed 68% of his passes — second-best mark in the Sun Belt. The harder question is what's around him, since the Jaguars just brought in Todd Orlando to fix a defense that helped sink a 4-8 season.
Louisiana Tech's side of this is a program on the way up. Sonny Cumbie finally got the Bulldogs to 8 wins in 2025, capped by a 23-14 win over Coastal Carolina in the Independence Bowl, and defensive coordinator Luke Olson's group is the reason people like Tech heading into its first Sun Belt season. The catch: Blake Baker, the 6-5 junior who gives that offense its ceiling, is working back from a knee injury, and Trey Kukuk is the more mobile fallback if Baker isn't full speed.
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LT Louisiana Tech
USA South Alabama
This is Louisiana Tech's introduction to a whole new set of opponents after 13 years in Conference USA, and South Alabama is exactly the kind of program the Bulldogs need to handle if they want to be taken seriously in their new league right away. Neither side has flashed a marquee non-conference resume yet — this is about early conference standing, not national relevance.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Oct 23?vs Old Dominion—
Oct 16?@ UL Monroe—
Oct 9?vs Louisiana—
Oct 2?vs Army—
Sep 19?@ Baylor—
Sep 12?@ LSU—
Sep 5?vs Northwestern State—
South Alabama Jaguars
Oct 20?@ Marshall—
Oct 8?@ Arkansas State—
Oct 2?vs UL Monroe—
Sep 26?@ Kentucky—
Sep 19?vs Ohio—
Sep 12?@ Tulane—
Sep 5?vs SE Louisiana—
Recent form.
The backfield picture matters plenty for both sides. South Alabama loses Kentrel Bullock and is counting on Keenan Phillips to carry more of the load, with Traevon Dunbar still working through a spring injury. Louisiana Tech's ground game was actually the separator last year — the Bulldogs went 5-0 when they averaged 4 or more yards per carry and just 3-5 when they didn't, which tells you exactly where this game gets decided if Baker isn't fully himself.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
South Alabama Jaguars
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Put it together and this reads like a program-trajectory mismatch dressed up as a conference tune-up. Tech is the better-coached, better-defended team walking in off a bowl win; South Alabama is rebuilding on defense and leaning on its QB to cover for it. That's the framework worth watching as fall camp reports start rolling in.
