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When conference realignment was in full-fledged zaniness a couple of years back, UL — its facilities aging, its athletic budget not nearly as high as many NCAA Division I football programs — didn't feel especially ready to make a jump out of the Sun Belt Conference. Conference USA — which wound up adding former Sun Belt members North Texas, Middle Tennessee, Florida Atlantic and Florida International, and as of Tuesday will add ex-SBC member Western Kentucky to its roster as well — didn't give the Ragin' Cajuns much of a sniff. But now UL's budget has climbed to the $18-plus million range, and the school is in the early stages of a $115 million athletic facilities masterplan intended to produce major renovation to its football, baseball and track-and-field/soccer facilities, among others. And the nationwide movement that was once frantic has come to almost a screeching halt, something at least one Ragin' Cajuns leader doesn't necessarily see as a bad thing. Read more: http://www.theadvertiser.com/story/sports/college/ul/2014/06/27/cajuns-conference-alignment-matter-timing/11555017/

Reacting to a national website story regarding potential Conference USA expansion, UL athletic director Scott Farmer said Monday that the Ragin’ Cajuns have interest in joining a 16-member C-USA. Conference USA’s rumored contemplation of an increase to 16 is not new, but commissioner Britton Banowsky did publicly acknowledge the possibility in a CBSSports.com report. “I think the number of teams isn’t as important as the teams we would compete against,” Farmer said. “We want our athletic teams facing the best competition possible. “Yeah, we’d be interested. Yes. I would want to look at division alignment and dive into that, but sure we’d be interested.” UL officials have worked quietly the last year-and-a-half to study, and position themselves for, a possible conference move. The program’s candidacy got a boost with its recent reveal of a $115 million athletic facilities masterplan that includes $70 million in Cajun Field football stadium upgrades. “We have spoken to several people trying to explore what conference would be best for the Ragin’ Cajuns athletic department,” Farmer said. “We’ve shared our information. We’ve talked about all of the bragging points, from the teams we have and the coaches we have to the great fan support we have, to now we can include the masterplan.” UL belongs to the Sun Belt Conference, which is losing current members North Texas, Middle Tennessee, Florida Atlantic and FIU to C-USA on July 1. Current member Western Kentucky follows in 2014. After several months’ worth of extensive conference-member realignment, other football programs currently on C-USA’s 2014 roll are adds Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion and Texas-San Antonio and existing members UAB, Marshall, Southern Mississippi, Rice and UTEP. Charlotte, transitioning from FCS, becomes a 14th football-playing member in 2015. Whether C-USA indeed grows 16 remains to be seen. “We’ve modeled it at 16,” Banowsky told CBSSports.com, “and it does kind of create some divisions that are a little more geographically connected. Read more: http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20130409/SPORTS0201/304090005/Conference-USA-eyes-expansion-16-teams-UL-possible-candidate