Troy

Troy's offseason revolves around replacing massive receiving production after losing their top three pass catchers to the transfer portal. Tray Taylor (42.9 PPA), Roman Mothershed (16.4 PPA), and DJ Epps (11.9 PPA) all departed, leaving Will Crowder without his primary targets from an 8-5 season. The Trojans rank 97th nationally in JP+'s preseason ratings at -5.1 points, with offensive struggles (-3.6, 107th) outweighing a solid defense (-1.1, 76th). Troy added TJ Lott from Old Dominion and running back Jaheim Merriweather from Purdue, but the transfer portal math looks brutal: 26 departures worth 63.5 PPA versus 13 arrivals adding just 4.8 PPA.

JP+ projects 6.7 wins for Troy in a Sun Belt that offers both opportunity and land mines, with road trips to Missouri, Arkansas State, and James Madison representing the toughest tests. The defensive foundation remains intact, but offensive line uncertainty compounds the receiver turnover to create significant structural instability on that side of the ball. If Crowder develops chemistry quickly with his new targets and the defense maintains last year's form, Troy could push toward bowl eligibility again. If the offensive transitions prove rocky early, a step backward from last season's success becomes likely.