The 2018 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Ragin' Cajuns played their home games at Cajun Field in Lafayette, Louisiana and competed in the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by first-year head coach Billy Napier. They finished the season 7âÂÂ7, 5âÂÂ3 in Sun Belt play to finish in a tie for the West Division championship with Arkansas State. Due to their head-to-head win over Arkansas State, they represented the West Division in the inaugural Sun Belt Championship Game where they lost to East Division champion Appalachian State. They were invited to the Cure Bowl where they lost to Tulane.
<small>Listed in the order that they were released</small>
On July 19, 2018, the Sun Belt released their preseason coaches poll with the Ragin' Cajuns predicted to finish in fourth place in the West Division.
The Ragin' Cajuns had two players selected to the preseason all-Sun Belt teams.
Offense
1st team
Kevin Dotson â OL
2nd team
Trey Ragas â RB
The 2018 schedule consisted of 6 home and 6 away games in the regular season. The Ragin' Cajuns would host Sun Belt foes Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, and South Alabama. The Cajuns would travel to Sun Belt foes Appalachian State, Louisiana-Monroe, Texas State, and Troy.
The Ragin' Cajuns would host two of the four non-conference opponents, Grambling State of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and the New Mexico State, an Independent school, and would travel to Southeastern Conference (SEC) members Alabama and Mississippi State.
The Ragin' Cajuns would travel once more to face off with the Appalachian State Mountaineers in the first annual Sun Belt Conference Championship Game.