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UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech and ULM – Back to the FCS?
Finally! Someone at a high enough level in Louisiana politics had the audacity to speak the truth. Louisiana’s three FBS (major college) state universities not named LSU are being brought to task about significant financial deficits in their sports programs. Thank you for your honesty, Dr. Wilbert Pryor of Shreveport! It’s about time that someone spoke up about serious financial problems stemming from trying to compete alongside the financial giants of college athletics. Prior is a Shreveport attorney. He represents the northwest portion of Louisiana as a member of the University of Louisiana Board of Regents. The UL system governs most of the state’s public universities not directly affiliated with either LSU or Southern University. Those two Baton Rouge-based universities each have their own supervisory boards to govern operations. Wilbert Pryor knows quite a bit about athletics and football in particular. The Shreveport native played football at Captain Shreve High School and was a fullback at Vanderbilt University from 1989-1993 while on a football scholarship. Pryor attended the September 22 budget meeting of the UL System. A discussion took place about athletic spending deficits at UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, and UL-Monroe. Each of those schools have athletic shortfalls ranging from $10-20 million apiece. A transcript of the budget meeting was released this week. Wilbert Pryor spoke his mind on this issue at the meeting. He said what many of us have been thinking for years. Pryor suggested that it may be time for UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, and ULM to (gasp!) leave the FBS division in football and return to the lower cost (and lower revenue) small college football group called the FCS. He has now received national media attention and anger from some within the state of Louisiana for speaking the truth. Since the three schools are having trouble keeping expenses in line with athletic revenues, the UL system hired a national audit and consulting firm to investigate. Deloitte will present their findings and recommendations to the UL system board by year’s end. One possible solution? UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, and UL-Monroe should step down from the FBS and return to playing football in the lower cost small college FCS group. Let’s review the history All three of these universities competed for years at the small school level formerly known as NCAA Division 1-AA. UL-Monroe (then known as Northeast Louisiana University) won the Division 1-AA football national championship in 1987 with a 13-2 record. The title game was a thrilling 43-42 victory over Marshall University. The home side of Malone Stadium still proudly displays a banner honoring the 1987 National Championship team. Yes, those WERE the days in Monroe! The Ragin Cajuns of UL-Lafayette (then known as the University of Southwestern Louisiana) became the first of these three schools to move into major college football. They became an independent in 1982. Louisiana Tech dove into the big time football pool in 1987 – also beginning as an independent. Northeast Louisiana University/UL-Monroe exited small college football to join the FBS ranks in 1994. What are the results after decades of competing in the FBS? None of this trio of schools has ever played in a major New Year’s Day bowl game. They have not participated in the FBS playoffs, either. News flash! Don’t expect anything different over the next 30 years, either. UL-Lafayette has played in eight consecutive post-season bowl games, though. The Ragin’ Cajuns have participated in a total of 13 bowl games since moving into the FBS in 1982. Louisiana Tech has now played in two straight post-season bowls. The Bulldogs have also participated in 13 bowl games since joining college football’s upper division in 1987. What about UL-Monroe? The Warhawks have played in only one bowl game after 32 years of competing in the FBS. The 2012 Independence Bowl saw the ULM Warhawks lose to Ohio University 45-14. Ouch. These mid-major schools do not pocket significant money from bowl game appearances. Travel and lodging costs for the team, staff, and band frequently exceed the guaranteed paycheck from the game itself. Home football attendance at all three of these Louisiana schools has, at best, risen slightly during their time at the FBS level. The average football fan wants their favorite team to perform well on the field and have a chance to win a conference title. With the dramatic rise in NIL payments to, effectively, buy athletes, how competitive will any of these three state universities continue to be at the major college level? The reward for winning the Sun Belt Conference title is a bowl invitation to play in the R&L Carriers (a truck line) New Orleans Bowl in mid-December. None of these three schools envisioned playing in a mid-level bowl game as their dream when moving into the upper tier over 30 years ago. Oh, no! He’s going to talk about money! All three universities now participate in the Sun Belt Conference Western division. It is, by far, the most economical FBS conference option for this cluster of schools. Travel to most road games can be made by bus in 6 hours or less. The Sun Belt Conference media contract with ESPN is worth +/- $2 million annually to each member school. The contract covers all Sun Belt sports. UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, and UL-Monroe each play one or two “money” road games each fall. These football road games generate far more income than playing a home game with an “average” sized crowd. For example, Louisiana Tech’s recent trip to LSU netted a nifty $1.6 million. Louisiana Tech (with 32,000 football seats in Ruston) would have to sell-out a home game at an average ticket price of $50 to match that kind of revenue. Recent history shows that the Bulldogs are more likely to fetch half of that average ticket price while filling 50% of Joe Aillet Stadium. That generates about $400,000 in ticket revenue for an average Louisiana Tech home game. However, the rising costs (players, coaches, support staff, travel, etc.) at the FBS level have exceeded the revenues generated by media deals, “payday” road games, and up to six home football games every fall. Thirty years ago, UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, and ULM entered the FBS division believing that their upward move would generate increased fan interest. With more fans in the stands, increased revenues should cover the added costs of travel and game day expenses. Would those three teams make the same decision today? Let’s compare regional rivals Sam Houston State (Huntsville) and Stephen F. Austin (Nacogdoches) in east Texas. Sam Houston won the FCS (small college) National Championship in 2021. The Bearkats decided to move up into the FBS group beginning in 2023. Sam Houston is now a member of Conference USA. The Bearkats went 2-10 last season and are off to a 1-3 start in 2026. Sam Houston recently spent $60 million to update and renovate Bowers Stadium in Huntsville. The listed capacity is still about 14,000. Attendance at Sam Houston home games has risen by a few thousand fans per game since the team last played in the FCS small college division. However, travel expenses required to play at far-flung Conference USA locations are exponentially higher for the Bearkats. Rival Stephen F. Austin opted to remain in the FCS. The Lumberjacks play in the Southland Conference. SFA won the Southland Conference in 2025 and qualified for the FCS playoffs last December. The Jacks advanced into the quarterfinal (second) round before losing to eventual national champion Montana State. Homer Bryce Stadium in Nacogdoches has a capacity of 14,500. Last year’s average attendance at home games was (sadly) only about 7,000 per game. Travel to SFA’s Southland Conference opponents is generally within a half-day drive from Nacogdoches. Today, Stephen F. Austin is off to a 5-0 start and ranked #5 nationally in the FCS. Which fan base is happier this fall? What would it look like if one or all three Louisiana schools returned to the FCS? A future FCS conference football schedule might include Louisiana competitors like McNeese State, Northwestern State, Nicholls, and Southeastern Louisiana along with nearby teams in Texas such as Stephen F. Austin and Lamar (Beaumont). Games against such regional foes would likely generate similar (or perhaps higher) fan interest than a typical Sun Belt home game against Georgia State or Old Dominion. A first place finish in an FCS conference (such as the Southland) automatically qualifies for a spot in the 24-team national playoffs each December. There are also 14 FCS “wild card” playoff slots awarded to teams based on their ranking and season record. A competitive second or even third place conference finish might be good enough to get your team into the FCS playoffs. Of course, moving out of the FBS means the loss of a few million dollars annually in TV/media revenue. That is a significant financial loss and represents the need for significant belt-tightening in order to reach breakeven. Returning to the FCS will necessitate fewer (and lower paid) coaches, fewer athletic staffers, less scholarships, and nearly “nil” NIL money for athletes. A downgrade in player talent is inevitable. Then again, will the average fan even notice? No one is forcing UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, and UL-Monroe to move out of the Sun Belt Conference and the FBS. Each of the trio’s football stadiums can easily handle another 10,000 fans every weekend if supporters want to keep their team playing in the upper division. FBS football has not significantly moved the attendance needle at any of these three state universities. The stats don’t lie. The upcoming Deloitte audit will give the UL overseers all the cover they need to enforce massive spending cuts. None of these schools will become more competitive (at either FBS or FCS level) with less money in their athletic budget. In conclusion… The choices are rather simple but hard to execute. Athletic departments at UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech, and UL-Monroe must independently develop and “sell” their own plan to dramatically slash expenses and raise revenues if they plan on staying at the FBS level. It will require selling significantly more local tickets and shaking down the university’s alumni and friends for even more donations to help support the school’s athletic programs. Based on 30+ years of FBS history at each school, any future revenue increases are likely to materialize slowly in the short term. There is always a remote chance that each university’s student body could vote to increase their school’s student fees by hundreds of dollars per year to keep the football team at the major college level. Then again, most college students never like to increase their own fees. Why should they absorb more personal debt to support their football team which has virtually no chance of playing for a meaningful title while in the FBS? This upcoming UL system audit report will provide Wilbert Pryor and the other Regents plenty of ammunition to place this trio of Louisiana public schools’ athletic programs on a crash fiscal diet. Revenues and expenses must come into alignment soon. Let the howling begin. The post UL-Lafayette, Louisiana Tech and ULM – Back to the FCS? appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com .
