Louisiana Tech’s last winning season was a 10-3 campaign under Skip Holtz in 2019.
Since then, the program has gone 19-40. As Sonny Cumbie enters his fourth season as head coach, he will attempt to reverse that trend.
The Bulldogs have a veteran team returning, and there is optimism that they will improve over last year’s 5-8 record in a season that ended with a 27-6 loss to Army in the Independence Bowl.
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Louisiana Tech’s odds to win Conference USA are +900, via BetMGM.
LA Tech’s win total Over/Under is 5.5, with Under 5.5 at +150 and Over 5.5 at -185.
8/30 vs Southeastern
9/6 at LSU
9/13 vs New Mexico State
9/20 vs Southern Mississippi
9/27 at UTEP
10/9 at Kennesaw State
10/21 vs Western Kentucky
10/31 vs Sam Houston
11/8 at Delaware
11/15 at Washington State
11/22 vs Liberty
11/29 at Missouri State
Bold indicates Conference USA contests
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2024 All-Conference USA 2nd Team
LB Kolbe Fields
Honorable Mention
TE Eli Finley
Louisiana Tech Has Experience At QB, Bulldogs’ Defense Looking To Continue Success
The Bulldogs have a good building block in redshirt sophomore quarterback Evan Bullock, who appeared in 12 games in 2024 and made 10 starts. Bullock completed 65.8% of his passes for 2,101 yards, 14 touchdowns, and three interceptions.
His best game came in a 48-21 home win over Middle Tennessee, when Bullock completed 18 of 25 passes for 290 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions.
The Bulldogs return their leading rusher from last year, Omiri Wiggins, who gained 527 yards and four touchdowns. The leading returning receiver is tight end Eli Finley, who caught 25 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Jay Wilkerson had 13 receptions for 262 yards and two scores.
Conference USA released the 2025 preseason watch list, as selected by the league’s 12 head coaches. The list consisted of key players to watch from each team this season.
Two of them from Louisiana Tech were from the offensive line – redshirt senior center Landon Nelson and redshirt sophomore Hayden Christman.
Nelson started 10 games last season at center. Christman played in all 13 games, making 11 starts at right tackle.
The defense was a strength last year, allowing 21 points per game, which ranked 26th nationally.
Returning second-team all-CUSA linebacker Kolbe Fields is the defensive leader. Fields was second on the team with 71 tackles last year. A Group of Five Preseason All-American, Fields was also second on the Bulldogs with nine tackles for loss.
Another member of the Preseason Watch List is cornerback Cedric Woods, who had 30 tackles and tied for the team lead with five pass breakups in 2024.
The defensive line has to be rebuilt for the most part. Senior defensive tackle Zion Nason only played in the final four games of last year but had his best performance in the bowl loss to Army with four tackles.
I predict the Bulldogs will win six games, going 2-2 in non-conference and 4-4 in CUSA games.
A key for the Bulldogs will be doing a better job in close games. Last year, they were 3-5 in games that were decided by eight or fewer points.
In addition, new defensive coordinator Luke Olson will try to keep the unit at the elite level it was a year ago. Whether the Bulldogs can have a strong pass rush will help determine how successful the defense will be.
If Bullock can take the next step after an impressive first year, that should also translate to greater success.
