Troy football notched a landmark upset and returned to the top of the Sun Belt in 2017. What lies in store for the Trojans in the upcoming season?
2017 will always be remembered by Troy fans as the year when the Trojans took down LSU. But it was a Jekyll-and-Hyde year that ended in an 11-2 finish that could have been even more. The Trojans shook off a loss at Boise State in the opener and were 4-1 after pulling off the upset in Baton Rouge.
But then they followed up the takedown of the Tigers with an inexplicable loss at home to rival South Alabama. Troy went on to win a share of the Sun Belt title in its final season before growing to 12 teams. They had a legitimate shot to run the table and claim the league crown outright, and only the defeat to the Jaguars prevented that from becoming reality.
This year, things change in the Sun Belt. Now the Trojans find themselves in the East division alongside Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, and Coastal Carolina. All they need to do is take down that quartet and they will be in the inaugural conference championship game.
That is often easier said than done, though. Does Troy have the weapons to effectively achieve that goal this year? And can they navigate a schedule that presents some key challenges out of the gate and doesn’t get much easier from there along the way? Keep reading as we look at each side of the ball before discussing the minefield of a schedule.