NEW ORLEANS — Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Keith Gill bragged on the recent success of the league on the first day of the 2026 Sun Belt Football Media Days on Wednesday—as well he should. 
 
The first-ever appearance by a Sun Belt program in the College Football Playoff capped the league’s 25th anniversary celebration of Sun Belt football in 2025, ahead of the conference’s second-straight berth into the Men’s College World Series to highlight the first half of the league’s 50th anniversary campaign in 2026. 

“We have enjoyed the best four-year run in conference history, and I believe, the best four-year run of any peer conference,” said Gill during his State of the Conference address that opened Media Days activities at the New Orleans Marriott Warehouse Arts District. “But I firmly believe, after 50 years of tremendous growth and achievement, our best days are still ahead of us.”



The first day of Media Days on Wednesday spotlighted the programs from the Sun Belt East Division, including defending conference champion and College Football Playoff qualifier James Madison. Thursday’s final day will feature programs from the Sun Belt West Division, with the Sun Belt Football Media Days Show resuming at 9:30 a.m. CT and the Podium Feed opening with a re-air of today’s State of the Conference address at 10:00 a.m. CT on ESPN+. The traditional Sun Belt Football Media Days Show  will incorporate portions of the Main Stage and Sun Belt Studio appearances from each team alongside analysis from hosts Matt Stewart and Rocky Boiman, while the Sun Belt Football Media Days Podium Feed will showcase the Main Stage appearances from each team in their entirety. 
 
One of those West Division programs is a newcomer in the league, with Louisiana Tech officially joining the Sun Belt Conference on July 1, 2026—a move that Gill noted strengthens the league in several ways. 
 
“Louisiana Tech is an ideal fit for our conference, bringing a strong record of competitive success and a geographic fit that strengthens our footprint,” said Gill. “It reflects the qualities that make the Sun Belt strong—competitive excellence, passionate fan bases, regional rivalries and meaningful connections among like-minded institutions.”
 
“Their addition renews in-state rivalries with ULM and Louisiana, creates compelling matchups with Southern Miss and Arkansas State, improves travel and gives fans more games that matter. They make us stronger in a myriad of ways.”
 
Louisiana Tech’s addition is the Sun Belt’s latest through conference realignment, after James Madison, Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss have become established Sun Belt members since their additions were announced in 2021 and they officially joined the league on July 1, 2022. 
 
“For many FBS conferences, realignment has weakened brands, reduced value and created long-term challenges for remaining members,” said Gill. “Since 2021, the Sun Belt has taken a different path by strategically adding five brands that strengthen our conference in football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and softball. These additions deepen rivalries in both divisions, create compelling matchups, increase fan engagement and improve travel efficiency for our schools and fans.”
 
There is no question that Sun Belt football has flourished since former commissioner Wright Waters spearheaded the launch of FBS football in the league in 2001, and Gill referenced those numbers Wednesday and also showed the quantum leap in the Sun Belt’s football success in the last decade.
 
“In the first 14 seasons of Sun Belt football, we produced three 10-win teams,” said Gill. “In the last 11 seasons we’ve produced 22, including multiple 10-win teams in eight-straight seasons. And in those first 14 seasons the league had 25 bowl participants, in the last 11 we have had 73, including averaging 10 bowl-eligible teams over the past three years.”
 
“From 2022 to 2025, we earned 12 wins over autonomy conference football programs and led our peer conferences in Bowl Season participation each year. Over the last seven years, six Sun Belt teams have finished in the final College Football Playoff Top 25, and we’ve hosted ESPN’s College GameDay three times. GameDay comes to meaningful games with compelling matchups, which the Sun Belt delivers week after week.”
 
Even though Wednesday and Thursday were and are devoted to football, Gill was quick to point out that the league’s success isn’t just in the fall. Troy’s Trojans were the most recent example, reaching the Men’s College World Series and giving the league representation in Omaha for a second-straight year—the first non-autonomy conference to do so since the Big West in 2016 and 2017. 
 
“The Sun Belt excels well beyond football,” said Gill. “Baseball and softball combined to place eight teams in the NCAA Championship, we had multiple men’s soccer and men’s golf teams qualify, and over the last four years the Sun Belt annually had multiple teams reach a bowl or an NCAA Championship in eight different sports.”
 
Gill did sound a warning to the assembled media concerning the College Football Playoff and the Protect College Sports Act that is slowly moving toward the floor of the U.S. Senate.
 
“There’s significant discussion about the College Football Playoff and whether it should expand,” said Gill. “The Sun Belt could reasonably support the largest possible expansion to create more opportunities for our teams. But the issue is more complicated than that. We must understand how change could affect college football in general and the CFP over the long term.
 
“At this point, I don’t know the best CFP format, but I do know that once the impacts are fully understood, the best choice will become clear.”
 
Things are not as clear with the Protect College Sports Act, legislation for which Gill publicly thanked U.S. Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell for their work in crafting. 
 
“College athletics faces significant uncertainty,” said Gill. “Lawsuits continue to be filed at an alarming pace, and the NCAA may soon spend $100 million annually on legal fees. That’s money that could otherwise support student-athletes and championships.”
 
“The untold story is the transfer student-athletes who do not find another school. They have nowhere to play. The bill’s not perfect, but the Sun Belt supports its approach to transfers and eligibility, which would be a meaningful improvement over the current state of affairs,” said Gill. “The legislation could be improved if it was modified to treat every conference the same, establish one national standard and preserve a school’s flexibility to manage schedules, rosters and sport offerings. Whatever happens, we should not miss the opportunity to get this right.”