NEW ORLEANS — Following its third Sun Belt Football Championship Game appearance over the past four campaigns, Troy will commence its 2026 season on Saturday, Sept. 5, when it hosts Sam Houston at 7:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
The matchup will be the first between the two teams at the FBS level, though the Trojans lead the all-time series 7-0-1. Troy defeated Sam Houston in five-straight years from 1996-2000 when both programs were FCS members in the Southland Conference.
Troy’s non-conference slate also includes a visit from in-state foe Alabama State (Sept. 12), followed by trips to Missouri (Sept. 19) and Utah State (Sept. 26). Alongside annual dates with their West Division rivals, the Trojans will visit Sun Belt East Division favorite James Madison (Oct. 29)—in a rematch of the 2025 Sun Belt Football Championship Game—and host Georgia Southern (Nov. 21) in cross-division clashes.
The Trojans were picked to finish atop the Sun Belt West Division and compete in their fourth Sun Belt Football Championship Game in five seasons, while collecting 12-of-14 first-place votes in last month’s
2026 Sun Belt Conference Football Preseason Coaches Poll.
Third-year head coach Gerad Parker will lead a roster that
returns two First Team All-Sun Belt picks from 2025 and
had six players named to the 2026 Preseason All-Sun Belt teams—the fourth-most in the conference—headlined by Sun Belt Preseason Defensive Player of the Year senior defensive lineman Donnie Smith and Sun Belt Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year senior punter Evan Crenshaw.
Troy went 8-6 in 2025, including a 6-2 conference record to advance to the Sun Belt Football Championship Game. The Trojans were part of the Sun Belt’s 10-team Bowl Season contingent that paced the non-autonomy conferences for the fourth-straight year, advancing to their third bowl game over the past four seasons.
The Trojans are 171-139 in 25 FBS seasons, reaching seven-or-more wins in 13 of those campaigns. In 2025, Troy became the third Sun Belt program to qualify for the Sun Belt Football Championship Game three-or-more times in the postseason event’s eight-year history, joining Louisiana (5) and App State (4).
To listen to head coach Gerad Parker, senior punter Evan Crenshaw and senior defensive lineman Donnie Smith’s remarks from the 2026 Sun Belt Football Media Days,
visit the Sun Belt Conference YouTube page.
2026 SCHEDULE
| 9/5 |
Sam Houston |
| 9/12 |
Alabama State |
| 9/19 |
at Missouri |
| 9/26 |
at Utah State |
| 10/6 |
Southern Miss* |
| 10/17 |
at Louisiana* |
| 10/24 |
ULM* |
| 10/29 |
at James Madison* |
| 11/7 |
Louisiana Tech* |
| 11/14 |
at South Alabama* |
| 11/21 |
Georgia Southern* |
| 11/28 |
at Arkansas State* |
* Sun Belt Conference Game
2025 ALL-SUN BELT RETURNERS
First Team
DL – Donnie Smith, Troy (Sr., DL – Greenville, Miss.)
P – Evan Crenshaw, Troy (Sr., P – Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.)
2026 PRESEASON ALL-SUN BELT SELECTIONS
First Team
DL – Donnie Smith, Troy (Sr., DL – Greenville, Miss.)
P – Evan Crenshaw, Troy (Sr., P – Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.)
Second Team
QB – Goose Crowder, Troy (Sr., QB – Gardendale, Ala.)
OL – Jordon Jones, Troy (Sr., OL – Ashland, Ky.)
DB – Justin Powe, Troy (Sr., DB – Mobile, Ala.)
AP – Jordan Lovett, Troy (Jr., AP – Statesboro, Ga.)