Louisiana Tech and ULM Renew Historic I-20 Rivalry With Year-Long Championship

RUSTON, La. (BuzzReport) — A rivalry that has simmered for generations is about to get a whole lot more interesting.

Louisiana Tech and the University of Louisiana Monroe are turning their geographic proximity into a full-season athletic showdown, announcing a new all-sports championship that will put bragging rights on the line across 12 varsity sports.

The rivalry series comes as Louisiana Tech prepares for its first season back in the Sun Belt Conference, bringing the Bulldogs and Warhawks together for regular competition throughout much of the athletic calendar. Most notably, the return to the Sun Belt restores the football matchup between the two North Louisiana programs for the first time in more than 25 years.

Separated by fewer than 35 miles along Interstate 20, the schools have shared a long history of competition. Now, that rivalry will stretch far beyond a single football game or basketball matchup.

Under the new format, the two universities will compete throughout the academic year for points, with the school that reaches 6.5 points first crowned the annual champion.

And there is one important rule: every sport counts.

The competition will include football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball and women’s soccer, along with conference-finish competitions in men’s and women’s cross country, men’s golf, and men’s and women’s track and field.

Each sport is worth exactly one point.

The winner earns the point. If a competition ends in a tie, each school receives one-half point.

That means the championship could potentially come down to the final events of the spring, keeping fans invested long after football season ends.

More Than Just a Football Rivalry

The renewed rivalry is part of Louisiana Tech’s broader effort to bring traditional regional matchups back into the spotlight.

For years, Louisiana Tech and ULM have competed against each other in various sports, but the schools’ move into the same conference structure creates an opportunity to turn those individual contests into something much bigger.

Louisiana Tech Athletic Director Ryan Ivey said the new series gives student-athletes, alumni and fans another reason to follow the rivalry throughout the entire year.

The stakes will be especially high when the Bulldogs and Warhawks meet on the football field.

Because football is included as a single head-to-head competition, that game could ultimately become the tiebreaker if the overall standings are deadlocked at the end of the season.

In other words, the football game could carry even more weight than usual.

How the Showdown Will Work

The annual championship will feature 12 sports in total:

• Football — one game
• Men’s Basketball — season series
• Women’s Basketball — season series
• Baseball — season series
• Softball — season series
• Volleyball — season series
• Women’s Soccer — one match
• Men’s Cross Country — conference finish
• Women’s Cross Country — conference finish
• Men’s Golf — conference finish
• Men’s Track & Field — combined indoor and outdoor conference finish
• Women’s Track & Field — combined indoor and outdoor conference finish

Only sports sponsored at the varsity level by both universities will count toward the championship standings.

The scoring system is intentionally simple: one sport, one point.

The first school to reach 6.5 points wins the season-long championship.

If the final standings are tied, the winner of the football game will be declared the overall champion.

A Rivalry Built Along I-20

The rivalry’s geographic roots are impossible to miss.

Louisiana Tech and ULM sit less than 35 miles apart, connected by Interstate 20 and separated by a relatively short drive through North Louisiana.

That proximity has helped fuel the competitive spirit between the schools for decades, creating a rivalry that extends beyond campuses and into communities throughout the region.

Now, fans will have an opportunity to track the battle from the opening kickoff in the fall all the way through the final track-and-field and golf competitions in the spring.

Standings will be updated throughout the academic year following each competition, giving supporters a running look at which side holds the advantage.

The trophy and official visual identity for the championship will be unveiled at a later date.

For Louisiana Tech and ULM, however, the trophy is only part of the story.

The real prize is the opportunity to settle a year’s worth of competition — sport by sport, point by point — and determine which school can claim North Louisiana’s ultimate bragging rights.

After more than two decades without an annual football meeting, the I-20 rivalry is back.

And this time, the entire athletic year counts.