The 2019 Troy Football Schedule is Here

The Sun Belt football schedule is finally here for fans and media alike to devour it and set our fall calendars around it.

We knew who Troy’s opponents were and where the game would be located already, but we didn’t know when those games would be played.

That’s a fairly important variable in the Sun Belt, considering the amount of weekday conference games are scheduled for the purpose of increased national exposure.

So, without further ado, here is Troy’s 2019 football schedule and a full breakdown of it below.

8/31	Campbell
	Bye
9/14	Southern Miss
9/21	at Akron
9/28	Arkansas State*
10/5	at Missouri
10/16 (Wed)	South Alabama (ESPN2)
10/26	at Georgia State
11/2	at Coastal Carolina
11/9	Georgia Southern
11/16	at Texas State
11/23	at Louisiana-Lafayette
11/30	Appalachian State

 

August/September

Week one of college football falls in August this year, which is a somewhat rare gift that our Lord bestows upon us from time to time. The Chip Lindsey era kicks off against the mighty Camels of Campbell in what will be the first ever meeting between the two teams.

Troy’s first bye week is on week two, which is less than ideal for all parties involved with a college football team.

A massive SBC/CUSA game follows the bye week as Southern Miss rolls into town for part II of what Neal Brown once called a “measuring stick game” in 2016.

After Troy won the first meeting in 1935, the Eagles captured the next seven. Five of those came between 1936-1940, though, and Troy currently holds a 1-0 advantage for this decade.

Troy plays at Akron on September 21 after a hard fought, albeit ugly, win over the Zips at home in 2017. Akron quarterback Kato Nelson is returning along with 2018 leading receiver Andre Williams. Troy’s first road test will be a big one.

The Trojans put a cap on September with a big showdown with a Sun Belt West division opponent in Arkansas State.

Conference game number one will feature a revamped Red Wolves squad heading into Troy to face a Trojan team and fan base that likely remembers what happened last time Arkansas State came into town.

October

October begins with a road game at the SEC’s Missouri Tigers. This will be the first time Troy has played a Power Five team any later than September since 2015 (Mississippi State).

This will be one that many eyes will be upon. Can Lindsey continue Brown’s penchant for being a Power Five pest? The answer got a whole lot more interesting on December 4, when Kelly Bryant announced his transfer to Missouri where he will likely be replacing Drew Lock.

Troy will not play the following Saturday in what is bye week number two but will host rival South Alabama at home on the following Wednesday.

As it stands, the home team has won this game just twice in seven meetings. Troy holds a 4-3 advantage but hasn’t put two wins in a row in this series since 2012-13.

October finishes with Troy’s second ever trip to Georgia State Stadium to battle the Panthers.

November

The quick trip through the Sun Belt East continues against a team Troy has literally never lost to: Coastal Carolina.

Troy is 2-0 against the Chanticleers and last time the Trojans were in Conway, Marcus Jones did this:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_DffBLdod0]

Jones has three kickoff return touchdowns against Coastal after returning one at home last year.

Sandwiched in between a pair of two-game road trips is a home battle against a Georgia Southern team that exploded back to prominence last season.

The matchup with the Eagles will be game two of a series that will go a long way in deciding who wins the East. Appalachian State and Georgia Southern meet on Halloween for game one.

Before Troy can turn its focus to a stellar home finale, it has to get through a dual-trap game scenario with road games at Texas State and Louisiana-Lafayette.

The Bobcat defense gave Troy all it could handle last season and the Cajuns are coming off a surprise division-winning season.

But looming on the other side is a home tilt versus Appalachian State that could very well be just as big as last year’s, which was essentially the real Sun Belt Championship game.

All in all, its a good schedule. Playing at home just once between October 26 and November 23 is a little annoying, but jumping out of the gate with Arkansas State is big and a great way to slingshot that September fan interest into October.

Having just one midweek game is a plus, as well.

Of course, ending the season with Troy/Appalachian State is another A+ move by the Sun Belt.

As the offseason wears on, we’ll continue to look at each game on the schedule with a little more depth. For now, I’m just happy to be talking about football again.