The Troy Trojans were the best team in the Sun Belt Conference a decade ago. Then they fell on hard times for a few years. Last year, they rose to the top section of the conference and very nearly shared the league championship. What is the outlook this year? It is favorable.
How Did They End 2016
The Troy Trojans were better than their record in 2016… and they won more games than ever before as a Football Bowl Subdivision program. Troy had won 10 games in lower classifications of competition before, but since moving up to Division I-A football, Troy had not won 10 games in a season… until 2016. The Trojans captured that tenth win by beating Ohio in the Dollar General Bowl. The win not only marked a milestone for Troy; it also wiped away the taste of the season’s one bitter defeat: a loss to 5-7 Georgia Southern in the last regular season game. That loss knocked Troy out of a share for the Sun Belt regular season championship. Troy played at a level worthy of a conference champion through its first 11 games. Even the two losses were understandable. One came against eventual national champion Clemson, and Troy was in that game until the very end, losing by only six points, 30-24. The other loss was a blowout, but Troy was done no favors by the schedule. Troy defeated Sun Belt co-champion Appalachian State on November 12. The Trojans were asked to play a Thursday night game just five nights later against the other co-champion in the league, Arkansas State. Naturally, Troy had nothing left in the tank. Had the game been played on a Saturday, the outcome might have been different. At any rate, Troy did everything it could through 11 games. Then came the Georgia Southern disaster… but the bowl win made the season something everyone at Troy could feel good about. The team improved from four wins in 2015 to 10 in 2016. It was a great year.
Offseason Changes
Left tackle Antonio Garcia and edge rusher Rashad Dillard were high-impact players on last year’s team. Garcia was an anchor at the second-most important position after quarterback. He protected Troy signal-caller Brandon Silvers, who is back this year. Dillard was part of a defense which led the Sun Belt in takeaways, and which bothered Clemson star Deshaun Watson. Those two players will not be easy to replace – merely getting 75 to 80 percent of their production will make this Troy team very, very good.
Team X-Factor
Kirk Kelley and Johnathan Boring are in the mix to replace Garcia at left tackle. That is such a vital position, and Garcia held it down for multiple seasons, meaning Silvers might get jumpy in the pocket if he senses that he cannot trust his left tackles in 2017. Getting a solid effort from Kelley or Boring will be central to the maintenance of a high-flying Troy passing attack, which is the biggest reason to like the Trojans this season.
What To Expect From The Trojans This Year
Troy has six members of its defensive front seven back. It has most of its running backs back. It has all of its receivers and its quarterback returning from 2016. This is a veteran team with ample talent. The pieces are in place for a strong season.
Record Last 5 Seasons
2016: 10-3
2015: 4-8
2014: 3-9
2013: 6-6
2012: 5-7
Schedule and Outlook
The Trojans start their season with a tough test at Boise State. While that should be an entertaining game and one that they could possibly win, it’s worth keeping in mind that they’re at 12.5-point underdog at the press time. After that, the Trojans will host Alabama State, go to New Mexico State and then come back home to host Akron. They’re finish up their month of September by going to LSU.
2016 Sun Belt co-champion Appalachian State is not on Troy’s Sun Belt schedule this year. That should rate as good news for a team which won 10 games (nine in the regular season) last year. If Troy doesn’t win at least nine games this year, that will be a disappointment.
Regular Season Win Prediction: Over 8.5
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