25 for 25: Troy’s Best FBS Opponents
For Troy’s 25th Anniversary of the move to FBS, we will be ranking the Top 25 in many different aspects of the move. Today, we are counting down the best 25 opponents Troy has played in FBS.
While we often sing the praises of the Trojans, it is also right to credit the special teams Troy has faced.
Since 2001, Troy has played 80 unique opponents, ranging from FCS members to conference mates to National Champions.
This list is wholly subjective, but I did try to bring some objectivity to it. The main metrics I used were: National Championships, Conference Championships, overall margin of victory, and poll rankings. Other metrics were considered as well.
Note: This is an isolated ranking, not a “this team could beat that team” ranking.
Honorable Mentions
- 2022 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers – The 9-4 Chants won the SBC East, but had a -36 margin of victory, the lowest of any team in consideration.
- 2011 Clemson Tigers – The Tigers went 10-4 and won the ACC Atlantic, but only managed a 68 point margin of victory over the course of the season. I don’t know how Troy lost 43-19.
- 2013 Duke Blue Devils – The Blue Devils also went 10-4 and won the ACC Coastal, but couldn’t turn that into more than a #22 ranking and a draft pick.
- 2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets – The 9-5 ACC Coastal winners were a special team by Tech standards, but even Roman Reigns couldn’t help them make my Top 25.
- 2002 Arkansas Razorbacks – The SEC West Co-Champs finished the season at #25, but couldn’t even find a way to outscore their opponents by more than 93 points.
- 2024 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns – The Cajuns made a show of winning the SBC West at 10-4, but finished unranked with a 95 point differential.
- 2010 South Carolina Gamecocks – Spurrier’s birds beat #1 Alabama, won the East, ruined my wedding day, and couldn’t even win the SEC or a bowl game to make up for it.
- 2015 Wisconsin Badgers– This was your typical Wisconsin team: 10 wins, not in contention for the Big Ten title, won the Holiday Bowl, and finished ranked in the low 20s.
- 2011 Arkansas Razorbacks – Finishing #5 in the country, this Arkansas team is one of the best outside of the Top 25. Sadly, they couldn’t win their division, but they did win the Cotton Bowl.
- 2018 Boise State Broncos – Somehow this Broncos team beat Troy worse than the 2017 squad, but accomplished much less.
- 2021 App State Mountaineers – An argument could be made that this team deserves a spot over another version of App, but losing the Sun Belt title game moves the needle enough to overlook a 10-4 record and a 173-point differential.
The Top 25
#25) 2015 App State Mountaineers
App State split its opening two games, dropping 49 on Howard and losing to #12 Clemson 41-10. A flip got switched and the Mountaineers went on a 5-game win streak before Troy showed up on Halloween.
In those five games, App wouldn’t score less than 30 points and wouldn’t allow more than 14.
Troy ultimately became the next victim in its winning streak, but it took a triple-overtime 44-41 game to do it. This matchup is often looked back as the moment the Neal Brown era turned a corner.
Arkansas State ended the winning streak the following week and spoiled App’s attempt to be the third straight undefeated Sun Belt Champion. App finished second in the standings to the 9-4 Red Wolves.
The Boys from Boone wrapped up their 11-2 season in style, beating Ohio in the Camellia Bowl.
Notable Players: Taylor Lamb, Marcus Cox
#24) 2016 App State Mountaineers
The following year, the Mountaineers started the year 1-2 (something Trojan fans know all too well) with losses to #9 Tennessee (20-13 OT) and #25 Miami (45-10). Again, they uncorked a win streak before meeting the Trojans, this time a 6-game streak.
On November 12, Troy took down the Mountaineers 28-24. Without the strength of App coming into that game, who knows if Troy would’ve earned its Top 25 ranking (the first ranking of any teamin Sun Belt History) the following week.
App finished the season with two more conference wins and a share of the Sun Belt Championship with Arkansas State. It was rewarded with another MAC team in Montgomery’s Camellia Bowl, the Toledo Rockets. App won 31-28 and finished at 10-3.
Notable Players: Marcus Cox, Darrynton Evans, Taylor Lamb, Zac Thomas, Akeem Davis-Gaither
#23) 2017 LSU Tigers
Though this Tiger team only went 9-4, I couldn’t find a way to not include them. They were 3-1 and ranked #25 when Troy took them down in Death Valley. They responded by beating #21 Florida and #10 Auburn in order.
After the Troy game, LSU went 6-1 with the only loss being to the #2 Tide. LSU went to the Citrus Bowl, but fell to the #14 Fighting Irish, 21-17. The Bayou Bengals finished #18 in both the AP and Coaches polls and had 7 NFL Draft picks in the 2018 Draft.
Several players who lost to Troy in 2017 would be part of the Tigers’ 2019 National Championship run.
Notable Players: Derrius Guice, DJ Chark, Danny Etling, Will Clapp, Myles Brennan, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Justin Jefferson, Thaddeus Moss, Foster Moreau, Connor Culp
#22) 2004 LSU Tigers
This was the Trojans’ first (and last) game against arguably the greatest coach in college football’s storied history, Nicholas Lou Saban Jr, who was fresh off of his first National Championship in 2003.
The Tigers were 4-2 by the time the October 23 date with Troy rolled around. Losses to #14 Auburn and #3 Georgia dropped LSU from its #4 spot in the preseason to #18 in the AP and #17 in the Coaches Poll when Troy came to town.
A win over #12 Florida helped boost its rank after the Georgia loss.
Larry Blakeney’s squad fought hard and even had a 20-17 lead in the fourth quarter, before a Marcus Randall pass put the Tigers up for good. LSU rattled off four more wins to close the season and end it with a loss to #11 Iowa in the Citrus Bowl.
The Tigers would finished #16 in both polls and have 3 players drafted.
Interesting tidbit: This might be the greatest coaching staff that Troy has ever faced. Head coach Nick Saban, OC Jimbo Fisher, RB Coach Derek Dooley, DC Will Muschamp, DB Coach Kirby Smart, and Assistant Strength Coach Scott Cochran.
Notable Players: Joseph Addai, Matt Flynn, JaMarcus Russell, Marcus Spears, Early Doucet, Jacob Hester, Alley Broussard
#21) 2007 Florida Gators
At 9-4, this Gator squad doesn’t look too intimidating, but when you dig a little deeper, you see why they made the list. The 2007 version of Florida was coming off of their second National Championship in school history.
It beat WKU to open the season and beat Troy as the #3 team in the Coaches Poll and #4 in the AP. Florida went on to beat #22 Tennessee and Ole Miss in the following weeks, but its win streak was snapped by back-to-back losses to Auburn and #1 LSU.
The Gators rebounded, beating #8 Kentucky (Yes, you read that right. Remember, this is 2007.) and then losing to #20 Georgia. Another four-game win streak carried them into the Citrus Bowl and a losing date with Michigan.
The Gators couldn’t find steady footing, but managed to outscore their opponents by 221 points.
They would finish the season ranked #13 in the AP and #16 in the Coaches Poll. Tim Tebow would go on to win every award imaginable, including the Heisman Trophy. This made him the second Heisman winner Troy has ever played, after Nebraska’s Eric Crouch in 2001.
The coaching staff would feature Urban Meyer, along with four future head coaches: Steve Addazio, John “Doc” Holliday, Dan Mullen, and Charlie Strong.
Notable Players: Tim Tebow, Brandon James, Percy Harvin, Brandon Spikes, Joe Haden, Mike Pouncey, Carlos Dunlap, Maurkice Pouncey, Riley Cooper, Cam Newton
#20) 2021 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Most teams coming off of meteoric success, like Coastal had in 2020, would see a dropoff. The Chants, however, managed to put together another 11-win season.
They started out with a #22 AP ranking and a #24 spot in the Coaches Poll and a 6-game winning streak that pushed them to #14 in the AP and #16 in the Coaches. The win streak included the Chants’ second win over Kansas.
A 30-27 loss to App State stalled their momentum when Troy came to Conway for a clash with the now #24 Chants. The home team would come away with a narrow 35-28 win, but ultimately fell from the rankings after losing to Georgia State 42-40.
Coastal clinched a third-place spot in the SBC East. Two more wins rounded out the regular season before it defeated NIU in the Cure Bowl.
This Chants team, surprising Georgia State loss aside, could’ve been ranked higher, if not for its schedule. It was one of the weakest non-COVID schedules I have seen.
CCU would face only three teams with a winning record (App, GAST, and NIU) going 1-2 against them.
Notable Players: Grayson McCall, Bryce Carpenter, Tyson Mobley, Jaivon Heiligh, Isaiah Likely, CJ Beasley, Teddy Gallagher
#19) 2014 Georgia Bulldogs
I’m going to rip the Band-Aid off quickly here. The 2014 Georgia Bulldogs are on this list because they are the last team to shut out Troy in the FBS era.
The 66-0 drubbing is the worst loss in Troy’s FBS history and the second most points allowed (69-24 South Carolina in 2010). This was one of only 6 shutouts since the FBS move.
The Dawgs were #12 in the preseason polls and jumped to #6 after beating #16 Clemson. They lost to #24 South Carolina in Week 2 to drop back to #13. Then Troy came to town.
Georgia went 8-2 to finish the regular season in what would be considered a bit of a failure, losing to an unranked Florida and #16 Georgia Tech. They beat #21 Louisville to claim the Belk Bowl trophy for their troubles.
The 10-3 Dawgs would finish #9 in both polls and have 5 players drafted. For their faults, the team was effective, outscoring opponents by 268 points.
Notable Players: Todd Gurley, Hutson Mason, Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, Chris Conley, Lorenzo Carter, Michael Bennett, Malcom Mitchell, John Theus
#18) 2019 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
The Cajuns certainly raged in 2019. After losing the opener to Mississippi State, Louisiana went undefeated for the rest of the season (against teams not named App State).
Troy travelled to Lafayette to face a 8-2 team that was in the midst of a winning streak. Troy would be merely a hiccup, falling 53-3 in one of the worst defeats of the FBS era.
Louisiana dominated the SBC West and won 2-3 regular season matchups with the East. Across all matchups, it had a margin of victory of 255 points. This could’ve easily been a 13-1 Cajuns squad, if only the 2019 App State Mountaineers didn’t exist.
Notable Players: Raymond Calais, Elijah Mitchell, Trey Ragas
#17) 2005 Cal Poly Mustangs
Okay, I can already hear the comments, but just hear me out: The California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Mustangs were a special squad.
They started the season ranked #17 in I-AA. The 27-10 loss to Troy dropped them to #19 before they got hot. They defeated Sacramento State, #11 Montana State, South Dakota State, Northern Colorado, and #12 North Dakota State to reach #3 in the country.
Back to back losses to #9 Montana and unranked UC Davis dropped Cal Poly to #18. It rebounded with a win over #11 Eastern Washington and closed the season with wins over Southern Utah and Idaho State.
The Mustangs won the Great West Conference with a 4-1 record, securing them a spot in the Division I-AA playoffs. They faced off against #9 Montana for a rematch in Missoula.
Unlike Troy, Cal Poly managed to escape Washington-Grizzly Stadium with a win. In the Quarterfinals, they met up with future Sun Belt member #4 Texas State. The Bobcats came away with a 14-7 win, ending the Mustangs season at 9-4.
Cal Poly deserves inclusion here because ultimately, they made it closer to a National Championship than most of the teams on this list.
Notable Players: Chris Gocong
#16) 2024 Memphis Tigers
The University of Memphis hated the state of Alabama in 2024. In back to back weeks to open the season, Memphis outscored North Alabama and Troy 78-17. They followed this up by defeating FSU (led by former Tiger head coach Mike Norvell) 20-12.
A late September loss to Navy slowed momentum, but the Tigers went on a 4-game win streak until losing again, this time to UTSA. They would finish the regular season with two more wins and a win over #17 Tulane (and former Troy head coach Jon Sumrall.) It was the Green Wave’s only conference loss.
Two AAC losses would be too many to get them into the conference title game, so they would have to suffice with a Frisco Bowl win over West Virginia (days after firing former Troy head coach Neal Brown), a #24 ranking in the AP Poll and a #23 spot in the Coaches.
Notable Players: Seth Henigan, Mario Anderson, Kobee Minor
#15) 2023 JMU Dukes
2023 was the second season of the two-year FCS to FBS transition period for the Dukes, and they were out to show they deserved their spot. JMU came to the Wiregrass 2-0, fresh off beating UVA, to face a 1-1 Troy team.
A torrential downpour drenched the pregame atmosphere and led to a very back and forth defensive game. The Dukes ultimately prevailed by a narrow 16-14 margin.
They would use the Virginia and Troy wins as fuel for a 10-game win streak and a #25 ranking. College GameDay visited Harrisonburg for their November 18th matchup with App State. The Mountaineers pulled off another miracle win, stunning the Dukes 26-23 in OT.
A defeat of the Chants rounded out the Dukes’ season at 11-1, but postseason probation robbed everyone of the Troy-JMU rematch we all wanted. The Dukes lost the Armed Forces Bowl to Air Force because they do not hate the troops.
Notable Players: Jordan McCloud, Elijah Sarratt
#14) 2001 Maryland Terrapins
Unless you have been around for a while like me, you will be VERY confused to find a Maryland team on this list. This Maryland squad went 7-0 to start the season with a win over #15 Georgia Tech and managed to rise as high as #12 in the polls.
They lost the next week to #18 FSU and fell to #15 when Troy came to town.
The trip to Byrd Stadium in College Park was not a fun one for the Trojans, falling 47-14. Maryland would add two more wins over Clemson and NC State to go 10-1 in the regular season and won the ACC.
It marked the Terrapins’ first winning season since 1995, first conference championship since 1985, and their first bowl game since 1990. This was all down to the genius of Ralph Friedgen in his first season in College Park.
He was essentially the architect of the modern Maryland program, though it hasn’t been much since he was fired after a 9-4 2010 season.
The #6 Terps closed out the dream season in the Orange Bowl against #5 Florida, losing 56-23.
Notable Players: Jeff Dugan, EJ Henderson
#13) 2017 Boise State Broncos
Save for the 2010 and 2024 versions, this might have been one of the best Boise State teams I have seen in my time. Troy opened the season with a trip to Idaho and almost took down Boise on the Smurf Turf, falling 24-13.
The Broncos would follow that up with a win over new Mexico and losses to #20 Mississippi State and Virginia before going on a 7-game win streak through the Mountain West. A regular season finale loss to Fresno cost the Broncos an undefeated MW season, but they got revenge the following week, downing the Bulldogs in the MW Championship Game.
They would end the season ranked #22 with another victory over Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Notable Players: Leighton Vander Esch, Brett Rypien, Avery Williams
#12) 2022 UTSA Roadrunners
This game felt very similar to the 2010 GMAC Bowl, in that the two teams had never met, Troy played consistent football through the Sun Belt season, the opponent came in with a star QB with notoriety, and it was (arguably) the two best G5 teams.
UTSA started the season 1-2 with a win over Army and losses to #24 Houston (3OTs) and #21 Texas. It then rattled off 10 straight wins, including a defeat of North Texas in the CUSA Championship game.
Next stop, Orlando and the Cure Bowl.
The #22 Roadrunners went to the Mouse City to face off against the #23/24 Trojans. Troy left no doubt in the 18-12 win, capping off one of the best seasons in the FBS era.
Notable Players: Frank Harris, Zakhari Franklin
#11) 2021 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
The Cajuns started the year ranked #23 in the preseason polls. After dropping the season opener to #21 Texas, they dropped, but everything else went right for Louisiana after that.
They rattled off 13 straight wins, only beating Troy 35-21 en route to a Sun Belt Championship Game win over App State and a New Orleans Bowl win over Marshall. The Ragin’ Cajuns earned their way back into the rankings before the SBCCG and finished #16 in the AP and #18 in the Coaches.
They didn’t beat the brakes off of everyone, but they did simply find ways to win when it counted—a system that proved effective in the Wiregrass the next two seasons.
Notable Players: Levi Lewis, Kyren Lacy, Emani Bailey
#10) 2020 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Bias on full display here: I did not like the 2020 Chants. They were brash, arrogant, and a very good football team.
The Beach Chickens started the year off taking down Kansas in Lawrence, one of the few Sun Belt teams that were able to play Power Conference teams in the COVID year. They strung together quite a few more wins, including one over #21 Louisiana, which catapulted them into the Top 25.
In the penultimate week of the regular season, #13 BYU and College Gameday came to Conway where Coastal won the day. Troy narrowly ended the Chants’ magical season in the final week, ultimately falling 42-38.
Coastal, along with Louisiana, won the only shared Sun Belt title in the Championship Game era after COVID cases in the CCU program forced a cancellation. This robbed us of a revenge game for the Cajuns.
Notable Players: Tarron Jackson, Grayson McCall, CJ Marable, Isaiah Likely, Jaivon Heiligh, CJ Beasley, Tyson Mobley, Teddy Gallagher
#9) 2019 App State Mountaineers
Remember when I said that 2019 Lousiana could’ve been a great team, if it wasn’t for 2019 App. There was a reason.
App ran the Carolinas, taking down Charlotte, North Carolina, Coastal, and South Carolina in its quest for perfection.
App lost one game in 2019 and was 2-1 in one-score games. The one loss? Hated rival Georgia Southern.
The Mountaineers came to Troy the #25 team in the land and crushed the Trojans 48-13. With an earlier win over South and a win over UAB in the New Orleans Bowl, App laid claim to Alabama as well.
App’s defense only allowed 280 points, while the offense scored an insane 543 points. App outscored opponents by 263 points total. The Boys from Boone would finish the season ranked #19 in the AP Poll and #18 in the Coaches.
Interesting Tidbit: Future Troy DC and interim Head Coach Greg Gasparato was the Safeties coach for this App squad.
Notable Players: Darrynton Evans, Akeem Davis-Gaither, Corey Sutton, Camerun Peoples, Zac Thomas
#8) 2003 Kansas State Wildcats
Some of the teams on this list are great teams. Some were led by great coaches. The 2003 Kansas State Wildcats were a mix of both.
Led by the legend Bill Snyder in his 15th season, the Wildcats started the year off at #7 and 4-0, stomping Troy during that run, 41-5.
Yes, FIVE.
The season seemed to hit the skids when they reached #6 in the polls and lost three straight to Marshall, #13 Texas, and Oklahoma State.
The ship was righted when Colorado came to town. The Cats started a 7-game win streak, including wins over #18 Nebraska to lock up the Big 12 North and a win over the #1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners in the Big 12 title game.
The magic would run out in the Fiesta Bowl where they lost a close one to #7 Ohio State, 35-28.
For all the success that the 2019 App team had scoring and preventing points, 2003 KSU did them one better, scoring 549 points and only allowing 244 points, for a 305-point total margin of victory.
How did they score all those points, you might ask? Their most notable player: Some guy named Darren Sproles.
Interesting Tidbit: The 2003 11-4 KSU team was the second team in the modern era of college football to play a 15-game schedule, after the 1996 BYU Cougars team.
#7) 2008 Ohio State Buckeyes
A Preseason Top 5 ranked Buckeyes squad looked poised to make waves in the 2008 season with tune up wins over Youngstown State and Ohio. Then the Trojans came to town.
The #1 ranked West Coast ones. USC blasted the Buckeyes 35-3 in a game Ohio State never looked able to win. That didn’t bode well for the true Trojans of Troy when they came to Columbus.
The Buckeyes wouldn’t fall to Trojans twice in one season, though the game was competitive, only resulting in a 28-10 Trojan loss. Honestly, what else would you expect from Trojans in a place called the Horseshoe?
The Buckeyes built a five-game win streak off the back of the Troy win, taking down #18 Wisconsin and #20 Michigan State. College GameDay and the #3 Penn State Nittany Lions came to Columbus on October 25 and PSU left with the Halloween weekend win, 13-6.
Three more wins, including another win over Michigan, would secure the Buckeyes a 10-2 regular season, a Big Ten Co-Championship (with Penn State) and a date with #3 Texas in the Fiesta Bowl. Ranked #10 going into the game, Ohio State would fall just short 24-21.
Seven Buckeyes would be drafted in the 2009 NFL Draft and the team would finish #9 in the AP Poll and #11 in the Coaches.
Notable Players: Brian Hartline, Terelle Pryor, Beanie Wells, Malcom Jenkins, Marcus Freeman, James Laurinaitis
#6) 2007 Georgia Bulldogs
Sometimes, it really surprises me when certain teams underperform. This Georgia team was one of the better teams I have ever had the (dis)pleasure of seeing in person.
Full disclosure, my mother’s side of the family are all Dawgs. I talked A LOT of smack in the weeks leading up to a full-on family reunion style day at Sanford Stadium. Even at a 44-34 score, the loss wasn’t made any better being surrounded by family.
Family that, I might add, haven’t let me forget that they are 2-0 over my school.
The Dawgs from 2007 were full to the brim with talent, but just couldn’t find a way to win the games they should. The season started with a 35-14 beating of Oklahoma State before Mark Richt’s team dropped the Week 2 game against South Carolina.
The Dawgs would beat #16 Alabama en route to a 4-1 start before falling for the second time to Tennessee, 35-14.
Georgia was unstoppable from that point on. It would take down Troy, #9 Florida, #18 Auburn, #22 Kentucky and end the regular season beating Tech in Atlanta. Unfortunately, the two division losses meant that Georgia couldn’t battle LSU in the SEC Championship Game and a chance for a BCS National Championship.
The Dawgs would finish the season ranked #2 in the AP Poll with 3 first place votes and #3 in the Coaches Poll. From this team, only 4 Dawgs would be NFL Draft picks.
Notable Players: Matthew Stafford, Knowshon Moreno, Mohamed Massaquoi, Marquise Brown, Michael Moore, Akeem Dent, Drew Butler, Brandon Coutu
#5) 2020 BYU Cougars
Much like the team that beat them in 2020, the BYU Cougars were so close to perfection. A 55-3 drubbing of Navy boosted the Cougars into the Top 25 (AP #18/Coaches #23) when Troy came to Provo.
This marked only the second time in school history Troy had played in the state of Utah (2003 vs Utah State in Logan).
The Trojans fared only just better than the Midshipmen, falling 28-7 to the Cougs. BYU continued to win and climb in the polls, reaching as high as #8 in both polls before the so-called “Mormons vs Mullets” versus Coastal Carolina.
BYU lost 22-17, killing the chance at its first undefeated season since the 1984 National Championship.
The season was essentially salvaged with a final regular season win over San Diego State and a Boca Raton Bowl victory over UCF. The Cougars finished 11-1 and were ranked #11 in both polls. 5 players would be drafted to the NFL.
Interesting Tidbit: Former BYU head coach G. Ott Romney (1928-1936) was a first cousin with former Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney. They’re both distant relatives of Gunner Romney, a wide receiver on the 2020 BYU team who recorded a career-high 138 yards against Troy.
Notable Players: Zach Wilson, Tyler Allgeier
#4) 2009 Florida Gators
Both times Troy has played Florida, it was the year after it won National Championships. This also happened with the first two LSU games.
While Tim Tebow was the talk of the town with the Heisman Trophy win, the 2009 team was the far superior Gator group.
This was a team dedicated to one thing and one thing only: repeating as National Champions. The #1 ranked Gators outscored Charleston Southern and Troy 118-9 in the first two games. Tennessee, the following week, would be the only team in the first 5 games to score double digits on the Gators’ stout defense.
Florida would go undefeated in the regular season, defeating only one ranked team (#4 LSU) along the way. The closest game would be a 23-20 victory over Arkansas.
Florida would fall in the SEC Championship to a resurgent Bama squad in Nick Saban’s third season in Tuscaloosa. Florida would respond with a masterclass in beatdowns, smashing #4 Cincinnati 51-24.
The Gators’ offense scored 502 points and the defense only allowed 174 points, giving them a total margin of victory of 328 points. I truly believe that Florida could’ve won the National Championship had this been in the Playoff era.
The Gators sent 9 players into the NFL via the 2010 NFL Draft and had five future college head coaches on the staff (Steve Addazio, Scot Loeffler, Kenny Carter, Charlie Strong, and Dan McCarney).
Notable Players: Josh Evans, Brandon Spikes, Joe Haden, Carlos Dunlap, Janoris Jenkins, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Pouncey, Aaron Hernandez, Riley Cooper, Tim Tebow, Jeff Demps, Chas Henry
#3) 2001 Nebraska Cornhuskers
There is just no one like your first FBS opponent. I will always have the utmost respect for the Huskers for their willingness to play Troy and play the Trojans often in those early years.
Troy made 4 trips to Lincoln over the first 6 years in FBS. These 2001 Huskers are probably one of the almost-greatest teams in college football’s history.
The Huskers started the season ranked #4 in the country and beat TCU 21-7 before turning their attention to Troy. Troy would take an early 7-0 lead, but Nebraska would score next, often, and last en route to a 42-14 win.
Frank Solich’s team would knock off #17 Notre Dame the following week and continue to rack up wins over Rice, Missouri, Iowa State, Baylor, and Texas Tech before a huge matchup in Lincoln: #2 Oklahoma.
The Sooners proved no match for the Huskers, falling 20-10. Nebraska was now the #2 team in the country. They beat both Kansas schools in the following weeks by an 82-28 margin.
To that point in the season, the Blackshirts had allowed more than 14 points only twice. The offense also failed to score fewer than 30 points three times. Then came the regular season finale, a November 23rd game against #14 Colorado in Boulder.
The Buffaloes buffaloed Nebraska, whooping them 62-36 in a classic early 2000s Big 12 defensive struggle. This left both teams tied for first in the Big 12 North, with Colorado holding the tie breaker. They would go on to beat Texas 39-37 to win the Big 12 title.
After the Colorado game, Nebraska fell to #4 in most rankings. Controversially, due to the inclusion of a strength of schedule component in the BCS calculations, Nebraska jumped to #2 over Colorado.
Miami beat Nebraska 37-14 in the Rose Bowl, giving the Huskers an 11-2 record and a #8 ranking in the AP and #7 in the Coaches.
Nebraska’s offense would rack up 449 points scored, while the defense would only allow 189. That is even more impressive when you consider that Colorado scored a third of that. Its overall margin of victory was 220 points.
Frank Solich would be named the Big 12 Coach of the Year. Eric Crouch would win the Triple Crown of Quarterback Awards: the Heisman, the Walter Camp, and the Davey O’Brien. Ultimately, 4 Huskers would be taken in the following year’s NFL Draft.
Notable Players: Eric Crouch, Richie Incognito
#2) 2016 Clemson Tigers
The one that got away.
The Clemson Tigers started the season ranked #2 in the country and stayed following a close 19-13 win over Auburn in Week 1. Troy came to Clemson in Week #2 and nearly shocked the world.
This game is still the one where most people recognized the Neal Brown experiment was going to work (The rest of us knew after the 2015 App game.)
Junior Gnonkonde’s non-fumble return for a touchdown aside, Troy fought tooth and nail with the Tigers and nearly pulled off the greatest upset in school history. The two close wins over Alabama schools, however, dropped Clemson’s rank to #5, where they would stay for the next few weeks until beating #3 Louisville and taking their spot.
The Tigers would face no trouble the next four games, including a win over #12 FSU. Then came the November 12th matchup with Pitt.
Deshaun Watson threw for an insane 580 yards (an ACC record) and three touchdowns. That should’ve been enough to put away the Panthers, but Pitt didn’t give up.
After stuffing the Tigers’ attempt to run out the clock, Chris Blewitt did not blow it as he lofted a 48-yard kick with 6 seconds left to take down Clemson.
The now #4 Tigers rebounded with wins over Wake Forest, South Carolina, and #23 Virginia Tech (ACCCG, as co-ACC Atlantic Champions) to make it into the CFB Playoff as a #2 seed. They took down #3 seed Ohio State 31-0 to get a matchup with #1 Alabama in the National Championship.
The Tigers won 35-31, capturing the school’s first national championship since 1981 and more importantly, become the Alabama State Champions, going undefeated against its three best teams.
Deshaun Watson finished second in the Heisman voting and won the Davey O’Brien Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm, and the Manning Award. 6 NFL Draft picks came from this team.
The Tigers’ margin of victory was 318 points, the defense only allowing 270 points while the offense racked up 588 points… the highest of any team listed here.
Notable Players: Deshaun Watson, Wayne Gallman, CJ Fuller, Mike Williams, Deon Cain, Hunter Renfrow, Ray-Ray McCloud, Jordan Leggett, Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence, Ben Boulware
#1) 2001 Miami Hurricanes
There was never another option for #1 on this list. This is, in my estimation, the greatest modern football team to ever take the field. The 2001 Miami Hurricanes are the only undefeated team that Troy has played in the FBS era.
The Canes started the year ranked #2 in the polls behind the Florida Gators, but after Week 1, they took the number one spot and never relinquished it. Due to the strength of schedule component mentioned in the Nebraska spot, Miami wouldn’t reach #1 in the BCS until November 26th, after the Huskers lost to Colorado.
Miami took down Penn State, Rutgers, and Pitt before Troy came to town October 6th. Troy managed itself well against the Hurricanes, holding the score to 38-7.
Troy was one of only 6 teams to keep the Miami offense under 40 points.
Following Troy, Miami would continue its domination, taking down #13 FSU (49-27), West Virginia, Temple, BC, #15 Syracuse (59-0), #11 Washington (65-7), and #14 Virginia Tech (26-24).
The site of the BCS National Championship that year was the Rose Bowl, where #1 Miami and #2 Nebraska would clash. It was never a contest. The game was 34-0 at halftime.
The Canes’ offense didn’t have the highest point total (475), but their defense only allowed 117 points (the fewest of any listed) which gave them a 358 point margin of victory (the most of any listed). 6 players would be first team All-Americans and 13 were First Team All-Big East.
Larry Coker (somehow by doing nothing) won the Bear Bryant Award. QB Ken Dorsey won the Maxwell Award and the Big East Offensive Player of the Year, along with finishing 3rd in the Heisman voting.
Joaquin Gonzalez won the Academic Heisman and Bryant McKinnie won the Outland Trophy and finished 8th in the Heisman voting. Another 6 players were finalists for other awards.
11 Canes would be drafted in the 2002 NFL Draft. In fact, when the full class from the 2001 season had cycled through, a whopping 38 Miami players would be drafted into the NFL.
Notable Players: Bryant McKennie, Jeremy Shockey, Ed Reed, Clinton Portis, Ken Dorsey, Jonathan Vilma, Andre Johnson, Willis McGahee, Vince Wilfork, Sean Taylor, Antrel Rolle
Over 25 years of FBS, Troy has played so many talented teams that there are tons of ways this list could have gone. Let me know who you think are the best teams Troy has played since 2001.