Louisiana Ragin Cajuns

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns bring passionate, Acadiana-flavored football to Cajun Field in Lafayette, a program that's become one of the Sun Belt's steadiest winners. Vermilion and white Ragin' Cajuns teams built a run of championships and bowl appearances under coach Billy Napier before he departed for the Power Four ranks. Louisiana's football culture is inseparable from the region's identity, drawing on a fan base as loud as any in the Group of Five. The program is a perennial Sun Belt West contender.

Louisiana's football program began play in 1901, when the school was known as Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute; the Ragin' Cajuns nickname was formally adopted in 1974. The Cajuns joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2001 and have won three Sun Belt football championships (2005, 2020, 2021), including the program's first outright title in 2021 under Billy Napier, a 24-16 win over Appalachian State in the title game. The Napier era (2018-2021) also delivered the program's first-ever national ranking.