This could be the 12th game
January 03, 2008
I spoke with Alcorn State SID LaToya Shields earlier this afternoon, and she told me that Troy and Alcorn State are in talks for a 2008 game to be played in Troy.
However, nothing is final yet.
“They’re interested in playing us,“ she said. “Nothing is set in stone yet.“
As I said, that’s not final, but looking more and more like it will happen. The game would more than likely be played the third weekend of the season (Sept. 13). That’s when Ball State was supposed to come, but the Sun Belt forced Troy to accomodate Western Kentucky on its schedule in 2007 and 2008. Thus, Troy went to WKU last year and WKU went to Ball State. In 2008, WKU goes to Troy and Ball State goes to WKU (instead of Troy). Troy still needed a fifth home game.
I’m pretty sure Troy tried to get an FBS team in for 2008, but with the 2009 and 2010 schedules already set in stone, that may have proven difficult if Troy couldn’t guarantee a return trip until 2011.
Oh, Alcorn State, an FCS team in the SWAC, was 2-8 last year and recently hired Ernest Jones to be its new head coach. Unless Steve McNair has some eligibility left, I don’t expect it to be a competitive game.
This announcement likely won’t come until March 1. The Sun Belt teams put their schedules out there and ESPN decides if they want to pick up any of the games. As of right now, Troy is supposed to open the year at Middle Tennessee, but last year the Sun Belt changed Troy’s schedule five times before it was finalized.
Troy’s other non-Sun Belt games are @LSU, @Ohio State, @Oklahoma State and home against Western Kentucky, which won’t count as a Sun Belt game until 2009.
As far as naming an offensive coordinator, that could be announced tomorrow.
