Group of Five: UCF, Boise State headline 2018 preseason power rankings

Troy made waves last year when they toppled LSU in Death Valley. But it was an earlier game that made a bigger difference for the Trojans in 2018. The season opener at Boise State was a close contest, but one that the Trojans ultimately lost. That proved to be one of just two losses for the Sun Belt champions in 2017, as they won 11 games by the end of the year.

On one hand, the Trojans are dealing with some significant losses after half of last year’s starters are no longer with the team. That includes quarterback Brandon Silvers, who ranked in the top 30 nationally in passing yards and completion rate. It also includes Jordan Chunn, a multi-year starter in the backfield who is now trying to break through as an undrafted free agent signing of the Dallas Cowboys.

The offense lost five starters total. The defense fared even worse, with six of last season’s first unit gone from Troy. A pair of redshirt seniors, cornerback Blace Brown and linebacker Hunter Reese, will lead the team into the new year hoping to maintain the same level of quality as the unit managed last season.

Troy hosts Boise State this year in their home opener, looking to exact some payback against the Broncos. Their big Power Five opportunity this year comes against Scott Frost’s first Nebraska squad, which the Trojans will play on the road in mid-September. It will always be an uphill battle for a Sun Belt squad to finish ahead of the AAC or MWC champion, but this Troy team could do it after opening eyes last season.