Trojans picked to finish second in the SBC West

Troy Football

by WAKA Action 8 News

Ahead of the 2024 Sun Belt Conference Media Days, the conference office released the 2024 Preseason Poll.

In the West Division, Troy is slated to finish second behind Texas State. The Texas State Bobcats received nine of the possible fourteen first place votes, the Trojans received four votes for first place, and Louisiana received one vote for first place. The votes were cast by each of the head coaches within the conference.

Now while the Trojans aren’t picked to finish first in the west, they do have a 12-0 record against the Sun Belt West Division over the last two seasons. Troy also holds a 12-game winning streak over Texas State. The two teams will go head-to-head at Veterans Memorial Stadium on October 3rd on ESPNU.

In the East Division, the App State Mountaineers are slated to win. The Mountaineers received twelve of the fourteen first place votes and James Madison received the other two first place votes.

Sun Belt West Division Preseason Poll:

1.) Texas State- 92 points (9)

2.) Troy- 69 points (4)

3.) Louisiana- 66 points (1)

4.) Arkansas State- 65 points

5.) South Alabama- 54 points

6.) Southern Miss- 31 points

7.) Louisiana- Monroe- 16 points

Sun Belt East Division Preseason Poll:

1.) App State- 96 points (12)

2.) James Madison 79 points (2)

3.) Coastal Carolina- 67 points

4.) Georgia Southern- 50 points

5.) Marshall- 49 points

6.) Old Dominion- 32 points

7.) Georgia State- 19 points

The Trojans also had three players named Preseason All-Conference Selections.

Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team Offense:

Daniel King (Offensive Line// Senior)

Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team Offense: 

Eli Russ (Offensive Line// Junior)

Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team Special Teams:

Robert Cole (Punter// Senior)

(Information from Troy University)