Understanding Your Enemy: One thing to know about each of Troy’s 2025 Football Opponents
Mark your calendars. The 12 biggest days of the fall have arrived—Troy’s 2025 football schedule is here.
The conference slate was well established, at least opponent and location, and the first four weeks of non-con games have basically been up on the website the whole time.
Also, themes have not been released—except homecoming—but that tends to line up with the push for season tickets anyway.
So, the real news here is how it all comes together. Honestly, this year is kinda nice.
Game 1 – August 30 vs. Nicholls State
Troy opens against a former conference rival it hasn’t played since 2001.
Troy is 20-6-1 against the Colonels, with just two losses in 12 games since the tie at the start of the 1987 National Title season. Troy hasn’t lost to NSU since 1997, and not at home since 1991.
The Two States played nearly every year from 1973 to 2001 and shared conferences twice: the Gulf South (1984-1996) and Southland (1996-2000). They combine for seven Gulf South titles (Troy had 6) and seven Southland titles (Troy 3).
Troy’s non-conference series basically stands as tribute to the Trojans’ history with each matchup. This matchup truly represents the early Larry Blakeney years… before FBS football.
Game 2 – September 6 at Clemson
Third time’s the charm? Troy has been there before.
Troy is 0-2 all-time against the Fightin’ Dabos, with losses in 2011 and, most famously, in 2016.
This one’s about justice for Junior Gnonkonde. I still yell “his forward progress was stopped” anytime I see a fumble.
This game represents the Blakeney 5-peat Power 5 “anywhere, anytime” games. The Trojans were never afraid to roll into hostile environments and in a few cases win.
To be clear, they still aren’t. We remember Troy’s last stop somewhere called Death Valley.
Game 3 – September 13 vs. Memphis
Troy has an 87-year streak to break.
Troy hasn’t beaten the Tigers since the Great Depression (thanks Sherrill Busby). Last year’s breakdown was the first game in 82 years, the first since World War II.
The Trojans may not have another chance to hang a win on Memphis for another century. This game is about setting the tone for the future.
Then again, the glorious pre-NAIA years don’t often get this representation either. Coach Blakeney is the father of Troy football, but you can’t ignore those who paved the way for his success, either.
Game 4 – September 20 at Buffalo
This is Troy’s second game ever in New York State, after 2023 Army.
It’s the second Northeast game for Troy in more than 30 years (UConn, 1994). Spoiler, Troy is 2-for-2 in New England proper.
It’s also a rematch of the 2018 Dollar General Bowl, in which Sawyer Smith threw 4 touchdowns and the Trojans defended its nearly-spotless Ladd-Peebles Stadium record.
Troy is no stranger to the MAC, having played Akron in 2019—its most recent matchup and series. The Trojans are 6-3 all-time, with losses to Northern Illinois in the 2004 Silicon Valley Classic, Bowling Green in 2009, and Central Michigan in the 2010 GMAC Bowl.
Troy more than made up for the bowl losses, with the 2018 Buffalo win and two dubs over Ohio (2010 New Orleans, 2016 Dollar General).
This is only the third regular season series though, and the 2009 Falcons are the only team to beat Troy.
Clemson could very well be a contender to represent the Neal Brown era, but this matchup best stands for the 2016-present revival. The non-conference series wraps a somewhat fond trip down memory lane before the Trojans get a break.
Then the Sun Belt schedule begins with a bang.
Game 5 – October 4 vs. South Alabama
For the third year in a row, that team in Mobile will (more than likely) wear white jerseys against Troy.
The Streak is over. Now it’s time to start a new one. Troy is 9-4 in the series. Next.
Game 6 – October 11 at Texas State
Troy has lost exactly twice to the Bobcats in 15 games.
Troy is out for revenge. The Trojans had a 13-1 record and a 12-game win streak going into last year’s collapse.
Honestly Texas State was overdue for a beatdown in its favor. The Cats have shown a lot more meddle in the post-COVID seasons compared to matchups before.
Things should probably return to normal at some point.
Game 7 – October 18 at ULM
The Monroe curse is real.
Troy is 3-8-1 in Monroe, Louisiana. The Trojans have a chance to win back-to-back games there for the first time since 1995 and 2001.
The 45-14 beatdown in 2023 was an outlier, I assure you. Let the records show the Trojans went 0-4 until Neal Brown squeaked out a win in the final minute of the 2018 matchup.
Oddly enough this stadium is the place Troy’s nickname was christened. The 1973 tie was the first after Troy students voted to approve “Trojans” as the athletics moniker.
Even Troy’s first game against ULM was a loss in Monroe in 1970.
Game 8 – October 25 vs. Louisiana
This is Troy’s most-played matchup at the FBS level (because Troy has never played that team in Calhoun County at the FBS level).
Troy is 11-14 against the Cajuns, in a series that goes back to 1946. That’s right, this matchup stretches back almost as far as the Memphis drought.
More importantly, Troy is 4-3 against the Cajuns since the Neal Brown era began. That third loss was a lot closer than the final score showed, but a few garbage touchdowns for the winners tweaked the final score.
There’s a lot of vengeance on this schedule, if you haven’t noticed already. This does apply to both teams from the Boot.
Game 9 – November 1 vs. Arkansas State (Homecoming)
Last year’s 68 Ventures Bowl was Butch Jones’ first win in the state of Alabama since leaving the Tide, out of five attempts.
Jones lost at South in 2021 and 2023, at Troy in 2023 and against Northern Illinois in the 2023 Camellia Bowl. The win over Bowling Green was A-State’s first bowl victory since the pandemic.
The Trojans are 9-12 against the Red Wolves, but that’s a 8-9 since joining the conference in 2004. A scoreless series in the 1950s was followed by swapped wins in the early 1990s.
Troy ends the five-game stretch at home, and after another bye week, travel to uncharted territory: coastal Virginia.
Game 10 – November 13 (Thursday) at Old Dominion
This is the first meeting between these teams.
Old Dominion restarted its football program in 2007, but it has a decade of prewar history that never overlapped with Troy. Besides Kennesaw State (2015), the youngest programs Troy has never played are Air Force (1955), Houston and Charlotte (both 1946).
If we return to the 2023 Army preview article, it’s worth noting Troy is 0-6 in the Virginia-Maryland area and 1-9 if you cross the Appalachians and include Marshall.
Oddly enough, this is also the only non-Saturday game of the year. We’ll likely be able to catch it on ESPN2 or ESPNU.
Game 11 – November 22 vs. Georgia State
This is the first matchup for both coaches, the first such matchup since the series began in 2013.
Troy has had five different coaches in matchups against Georgia State—Blakeney, Brown, Chip Lindsey, Jon Sumrall and now Gerad Parker.
Georgia State has had four, including one interim—Trent Miles, Tim Lappano (Miles was fired), Shawn Elliott and now Dell McGee.
Troy went 5-1 against Georgia State when they joined the Sun Belt in 2013, but Lindsey couldn’t get a win over the Panthers at all. Then Troy moved to the West division, and the matchups became more scarce.
Since the Neal Brown era began, a Troy win in Atlanta has correlated with a conference title. This game is in Troy, though, and the Trojans haven’t beaten GSU here since 2018.
The Panthers haven’t even played here since 2020.
Game 12 – November 29 at Southern Miss
This is the third year in a row Troy’s season has ended with a game against Southern Miss.
I for one appreciate this tradition. If it’s not that team in Mobile, it may as well be Hattiesburg.
Troy hasn’t lost in the Burg since 1940. That was the end of the 1930s series, and since then the Eagles have only won two neutral site games (1977 Montgomery and 2008 New Orleans Bowl) and the 2019 shootout in Troy.
That’s USM’s last win over the Trojans, and while we’re at it, new head coach Charles Huff is 0-1 against them.
That being said, the season-ending blowout against USM isn’t going away in the minds of any Eagles fans.
For once, someone else on this list is the one after revenge.
Some things you may have missed
- 6 home games—about two a month
- The only new opponent is actually a conference team
- That debut matchup is the only Thursday game, which means
- The Battle for the Belt is a Saturday game for the first time since 2021
- 4-5-3 schedule means decent rest for players
This is legitimately a good schedule, from the strong non-conference opponents to the solid home game slots in the Sun Belt.
I can’t wait to break down each team as the season gets closer.