Countdown to Kickoff Day 9: #42 Troy Trojans

I would like to put this team much much higher on these rankings, but I am going to be a Joe Regular here and not do it because of the conference they play in, and their strength of schedule. Coming off a 2022 season that included a Sun Belt Conference championship, a victory in a bowl game against a nationally ranked opponent, and a 12-2 overall season, coach Jon Sumrall and his Trojans are looking to run it back in 2023.

It's pretty simple here. They are returning their starting QB, Gunnar Watson and their All-Sun Belt running back, Kimani Vidal. Having these two lead your offense will allow Coach Sumrall to get more sleep than any other coach in the Sun Belt this year. The two are more reliable than your dad’s living room chair, but unlike that chair, they will also drastically improve your chances of winning a conference championship. The offense will have to recover from losing their top two receivers, Tez and RaJae’ Johnson, so that may hinder the offenses' success.

The Trojans are also welcoming back four All-Sun Belt players to a defense that was #7 in the nation in Points/Game, #9 in Yards/Play, and #14 in Takeaways/Game.

How many games will Troy win in 2023?

• 9 or more
• 8 or less

Having a complete team like this at #42 feels like a sin, but one or two losses unfortunately takes them outside the top 25 and definitely strips them of a New Year's Six Bowl appearance.

Prediction: I really like this team and I will be rooting for them to prove me wrong, but the odds are they have a couple games in conference and have a tough opponent in Kansas State before conference play even begins. 9-3.