FCS conference belt
The Southland Belt
A companion lineage restricted to Southland: the belt passes to whoever beats the holder, exactly like the real belt, but only games between two Southland members COUNT — and only for the seasons both sides were actually in Southland at the time. Caught it by beating Incarnate Word on October 3, 2026. Defended it 2 more times since.
Next Southland gameStephen F. Austin vs. Houston Christian · October 31, 2026 · ESPN+ — Houston Christian takes it with a win.
66Reigns
209Belt Games
16Programs
Longest Reign
McNeese — 2 yrs, 347 days
October 28, 2006 – October 10, 2009
Most Defenses, One Reign
McNeese — 11
starting October 13, 1979
Most Reigns, All-Time
McNeese — 8 separate reigns
16 Southland programs have held it
| # | Team | Reign | Length | Def. | Won it | Lost it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arkansas State | September 15, 1973 – October 27, 1973 | 42 days | 0 | Established it (first game on record) | lost to Lamar |
| 2 | Lamar | October 27, 1973 – November 10, 1973 | 14 days | 0 | beat Arkansas State 10–7 | lost to Louisiana Tech |
| 3 | Louisiana Tech | November 10, 1973 – November 29, 1975 | 2 yrs, 19 days | 7 | beat Lamar 17–3 | lost to Arkansas State |
| 4 | Arkansas State | November 29, 1975 – September 25, 1976 | 301 days | 0 | beat Louisiana Tech 30–13 | lost to Louisiana Tech |
| 5 | Louisiana Tech | September 25, 1976 – October 2, 1976 | 7 days | 0 | beat Arkansas State 27–13 | lost to Louisiana |
| 6 | Louisiana | October 2, 1976 – November 20, 1976 | 49 days | 3 | beat Louisiana Tech 31–26 | lost to McNeese |
| 7 | McNeese | November 20, 1976 – October 1, 1977 | 315 days | 0 | beat Louisiana 20–19 | lost to Louisiana Tech |
| 8 | Louisiana Tech | October 1, 1977 – October 7, 1978 | 1 yr, 6 days | 6 | beat McNeese 14–7 | lost to Louisiana |
| 9 | Louisiana | October 7, 1978 – October 14, 1978 | 7 days | 0 | beat Louisiana Tech 24–6 | lost to Texas-Arlington |
| 10 | Texas-Arlington | October 14, 1978 – October 28, 1978 | 14 days | 1 | beat Louisiana 24–3 | lost to Arkansas State |
| 11 | Arkansas State | October 28, 1978 – November 11, 1978 | 14 days | 1 | beat Texas-Arlington 27–7 | lost to Louisiana Tech |
| 12 | Louisiana Tech | November 11, 1978 – September 22, 1979 | 315 days | 0 | beat Arkansas State 24–10 | lost to Lamar |
| 13 | Lamar | September 22, 1979 – October 13, 1979 | 21 days | 0 | beat Louisiana Tech 19–7 | lost to McNeese |
| 14 | McNeese | October 13, 1979 – November 14, 1981 | 2 yrs, 32 days | 11 | beat Lamar 34–25 | lost to Texas-Arlington |
| 15 | Texas-Arlington | November 14, 1981 – November 21, 1981 | 7 days | 1 | beat McNeese 21–20 | — belt retired — |
| 16 | Stephen F. Austin | October 16, 2003 – November 8, 2003 | 23 days | 1 | Re-established it (no Southland games on record between 1981 and 2003) | lost to McNeese |
| 17 | McNeese | November 8, 2003 – October 16, 2004 | 343 days | 2 | beat Stephen F. Austin 20–17 | lost to Northwestern State |
| 18 | Northwestern State | October 16, 2004 – October 21, 2004 | 5 days | 0 | beat McNeese 47–17 | lost to Nicholls |
| 19 | Nicholls | October 21, 2004 – November 13, 2004 | 23 days | 1 | beat Northwestern State 40–14 | lost to Texas State |
| 20 | Texas State | November 13, 2004 – November 20, 2004 | 7 days | 0 | beat Nicholls 35–12 | lost to Sam Houston |
| 21 | Sam Houston | November 20, 2004 – October 8, 2005 | 322 days | 0 | beat Texas State 27–9 | lost to Northwestern State |
| 22 | Northwestern State | October 8, 2005 – October 22, 2005 | 14 days | 1 | beat Sam Houston 10–6 | lost to Texas State |
| 23 | Texas State | October 22, 2005 – October 29, 2005 | 7 days | 0 | beat Northwestern State 31–16 | lost to Nicholls |
| 24 | Nicholls | October 29, 2005 – October 14, 2006 | 350 days | 4 | beat Texas State 32–29 | lost to Sam Houston |
| 25 | Sam Houston | October 14, 2006 – October 28, 2006 | 14 days | 0 | beat Nicholls 37–7 | lost to McNeese |
| 26 | McNeese | October 28, 2006 – October 10, 2009 | 2 yrs, 347 days | 9 | beat Sam Houston 31–18 | lost to Stephen F. Austin |
| 27 | Stephen F. Austin | October 10, 2009 – October 31, 2009 | 21 days | 2 | beat McNeese 16–13 | lost to Texas State |
| 28 | Texas State | October 31, 2009 – November 14, 2009 | 14 days | 1 | beat Stephen F. Austin 28–7 | lost to McNeese |
| 29 | McNeese | November 14, 2009 – October 9, 2010 | 329 days | 2 | beat Texas State 30–27 | lost to Stephen F. Austin |
| 30 | Stephen F. Austin | October 9, 2010 – October 30, 2010 | 21 days | 1 | beat McNeese 32–27 | lost to Texas State |
| 31 | Texas State | October 30, 2010 – November 6, 2010 | 7 days | 0 | beat Stephen F. Austin 27–24 | lost to Central Arkansas |
| 32 | Central Arkansas | November 6, 2010 – November 13, 2010 | 7 days | 0 | beat Texas State 49–17 | lost to Sam Houston |
| 33 | Sam Houston | November 13, 2010 – September 22, 2012 | 1 yr, 314 days | 8 | beat Central Arkansas 20–13 | lost to Central Arkansas |
| 34 | Central Arkansas | September 22, 2012 – September 29, 2012 | 7 days | 0 | beat Sam Houston 24–20 | lost to Stephen F. Austin |
| 35 | Stephen F. Austin | September 29, 2012 – October 6, 2012 | 7 days | 0 | beat Central Arkansas 42–37 | lost to Sam Houston |
| 36 | Sam Houston | October 6, 2012 – October 19, 2013 | 1 yr, 13 days | 6 | beat Stephen F. Austin 51–43 | lost to McNeese |
| 37 | McNeese | October 19, 2013 – November 2, 2013 | 14 days | 1 | beat Sam Houston 31–23 | lost to SE Louisiana |
| 38 | SE Louisiana | November 2, 2013 – October 25, 2014 | 357 days | 7 | beat McNeese 41–7 | lost to Stephen F. Austin |
| 39 | Stephen F. Austin | October 25, 2014 – November 1, 2014 | 7 days | 0 | beat SE Louisiana 27–17 | lost to Sam Houston |
| 40 | Sam Houston | November 1, 2014 – September 19, 2015 | 322 days | 4 | beat Stephen F. Austin 42–28 | lost to Lamar |
| 41 | Lamar | September 19, 2015 – October 1, 2015 | 12 days | 0 | beat Sam Houston 49–46 | lost to SE Louisiana |
| 42 | SE Louisiana | October 1, 2015 – October 10, 2015 | 9 days | 0 | beat Lamar 30–27 | lost to McNeese |
| 43 | McNeese | October 10, 2015 – December 5, 2015 | 56 days | 5 | beat SE Louisiana 21–7 | lost to Sam Houston |
| 44 | Sam Houston | December 5, 2015 – September 30, 2017 | 1 yr, 299 days | 10 | beat McNeese 34–29 | lost to Central Arkansas |
| 45 | Central Arkansas | September 30, 2017 – September 29, 2018 | 364 days | 8 | beat Sam Houston 41–30 | lost to Sam Houston |
| 46 | Sam Houston | September 29, 2018 – October 20, 2018 | 21 days | 2 | beat Central Arkansas 34–31 | lost to Lamar |
| 47 | Lamar | October 20, 2018 – September 21, 2019 | 336 days | 4 | beat Sam Houston 41–23 | lost to SE Louisiana |
| 48 | SE Louisiana | September 21, 2019 – October 5, 2019 | 14 days | 1 | beat Lamar 45–34 | lost to McNeese |
| 49 | McNeese | October 5, 2019 – October 12, 2019 | 7 days | 0 | beat SE Louisiana 38–34 | lost to Central Arkansas |
| 50 | Central Arkansas | October 12, 2019 – November 9, 2019 | 28 days | 3 | beat McNeese 40–31 | lost to SE Louisiana |
| 51 | SE Louisiana | November 9, 2019 – November 21, 2019 | 12 days | 1 | beat Central Arkansas 34–0 | lost to Nicholls |
| 52 | Nicholls | November 21, 2019 – October 9, 2021 | 1 yr, 322 days | 1 | beat SE Louisiana 28–27 | lost to SE Louisiana |
| 53 | SE Louisiana | October 9, 2021 – November 6, 2021 | 28 days | 3 | beat Nicholls 58–48 | lost to Incarnate Word |
| 54 | Incarnate Word | November 6, 2021 – September 24, 2022 | 322 days | 2 | beat SE Louisiana 55–52 | lost to SE Louisiana |
| 55 | SE Louisiana | September 24, 2022 – October 8, 2022 | 14 days | 0 | beat Incarnate Word 41–35 | lost to East Texas A&M |
| 56 | East Texas A&M | October 8, 2022 – October 29, 2022 | 21 days | 2 | beat SE Louisiana 31–28 | lost to Incarnate Word |
| 57 | Incarnate Word | October 29, 2022 – November 4, 2023 | 1 yr, 6 days | 6 | beat East Texas A&M 35–7 | lost to Nicholls |
| 58 | Nicholls | November 4, 2023 – October 12, 2024 | 343 days | 2 | beat Incarnate Word 45–32 | lost to Incarnate Word |
| 59 | Incarnate Word | October 12, 2024 – August 23, 2025 | 315 days | 6 | beat Nicholls 55–10 | lost to Nicholls |
| 60 | Nicholls | August 23, 2025 – October 4, 2025 | 42 days | 0 | beat Incarnate Word 20–6 | lost to Lamar |
| 61 | Lamar | October 4, 2025 – November 1, 2025 | 28 days | 3 | beat Nicholls 24–17 | lost to Incarnate Word |
| 62 | Incarnate Word | November 1, 2025 – November 15, 2025 | 14 days | 1 | beat Lamar 24–17 | lost to SE Louisiana |
| 63 | SE Louisiana | November 15, 2025 – August 27, 2026 | 285 days | 1 | beat Incarnate Word 10–7 | lost to Houston Christian |
| 64 | Houston Christian | August 27, 2026 – September 19, 2026 | 23 days | 0 | beat SE Louisiana 34–28 | lost to Incarnate Word |
| 65 | Incarnate Word | September 19, 2026 – October 3, 2026 | 14 days | 0 | beat Houston Christian 30–23 | lost to Stephen F. Austin |
| 66 | Stephen F. Austin | October 3, 2026 – Present | 28 days | 2 | beat Incarnate Word 28–26 | — present — |
No reigns match “.”
Membership is judged season by season from every game a team played, so realignment moves a team’s games with it. A holder that stays in Southland keeps the belt through any stretch without a game against another member; a holder that leaves vacates the belt on its last game as a member, and it reverts to the most recent earlier holder that is a member of the season it left for. If no one is left to inherit it, the belt retires with its last holder. Days count the offseason; switch to games to measure a reign by belt games only.