NCAA Division I Sun Belt Conference Football Conference Championship Trophy on the first day of the media conference at the Sheraton Hotel in New Orleans, LA on Tuesday, July 26, 2022. (Hunter Dawkins/The Gazebo Gazette via AP)

by Hunter Dawkins, Owner/Publisher – editor@thegazebogazette.com or hdawkins@supertalk.fm

NEW ORLEANS (GG) — The Sun Belt Conference continues to be a competitive football conference, coming off a 2024 season where it defeated three autonomy conference teams and led all non-autonomy conferences in Bowl Season representation.  Overall, the 2025 Sun Belt football season promises to be a thrilling one, with competitive divisional races, exciting player matchups, and several intriguing storylines to follow.

Commissioner Keith Gill has overseen a period of growth and success for the Sun Belt Conference. Keith Gill is the first Black commissioner of an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision conference.  The Sun Belt Conference has experienced success in various sports during Gill’s tenure, including multiple bids in baseball and softball, and six men’s basketball programs making postseason appearances in 2022.

“Our vision is focused on geography; that’s really important because that is where we get our regional rivalries and great fanbases,” said Gill when discussing the breakdown.  “Not only do many of the fans want to see these games, they have been a model of success. After you start checking the boxes, you see how much of a no-brainer these institutions are when adding.”

Gill announced the addition of Louisiana Tech University to the conference, with the Bulldogs joining no later than July 1, 2027. This decision, following a unanimous vote by Sun Belt CEOs, brings the conference’s membership to 14 teams.  Louisiana Tech’s move comes as Texas State is set to leave for the PAC-12 Conference.The addition is seen as a homecoming for Louisiana Tech, which was previously a Sun Belt member from 1991 to 2001. 

Gill emphasized Louisiana Tech’s geographic alignment with the existing Sun Belt footprint, noting that this addition would reignite several long-standing regional rivalries, especially with Southern Miss.

“When you think about Louisiana Tech and that addition, they check all those boxes,” Gill said. “They make our geography better. Adding Louisiana Tech, our average geography amongst our West Division teams, the distance between them goes to 250 miles. It’s now a bus league. And it establishes some rivalries that have been split apart by conference realignment.”

As the rest of the college athletics world continues to shift, Gill points to his conference having a seat at the table to play for a College Football Playoff title as a key to staying competitive on a national level.

“I think the most important thing we have is the College Football Playoff,” expressed Gill.  “I think the expansion from 12 in the future is great because it gives us the opportunity to have a better path to the Playoff.  I would definitely support that.  We have 12, 16 might be better for the Sun Belt.”

The future of conference realignment is still in flux, with many factors potentially impacting further changes, including evolving media deals and the stability of other conferences.

(Photo:  Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Keith Gill discusses upcoming season during the Sun Belt Conference Football Media Days Tuesday, Jul. 22, 2025 in New Orleans, La.  Aimee Cronan/The Gazebo Gazette via AP.)