Bowl projections: Diehard sees Troy playing December football 90 miles from campus

How does Christmas in Mobile sound, Troy fans?

Diehard Sports Network, in its first bowl projection of the season, predicts the Trojans will play Middle Tennessee in the 68 Ventures Bowl on Dec. 26 — 90 miles from campus. Athlon Sports' Steven Lassan agrees on the destination, projecting Troy against Eastern Michigan. College Football News' Pete Fiutak has the Trojans in the Frisco Classic on Dec. 15 against FIU. Three of eight national projectors have Troy playing in December, and two of them put the game in Mobile.

Where the bowl projections have Troy

Projector | Bowl | Date | TV | Matchup

Brett McMurphy (On3) | — | — | — | Not projected

Brad Crawford (CBS Sports) | — | — | — | Not projected

Bryan Fischer (SI.com) | — | — | — | Not projected

Steven Lassan (Athlon Sports) | 68 Ventures | Dec. 26 | ESPN | Troy vs. Eastern Michigan

Kyle Bonagura (ESPN) | — | — | — | Not projected

Mark Schlabach (ESPN) | — | — | — | Not projected

Pete Fiutak (CFN) | Frisco Classic | Dec. 15 | ESPN | Troy vs. FIU

Tim Stephens (Diehard) | 68 Ventures | Dec. 26 | ESPN | Troy vs. Middle Tennessee

Diehard and Athlon both land on the 68 Ventures Bowl. The tie-in is Sun Belt vs. MAC. Five projectors leave Troy off their boards at 3-3, but Troy quarterback Goose Crowder accounted for four touchdowns in a 55-34 conference win over Southern Miss three weeks ago. The Trojans are 17.5-point home favorites over UL Monroe on Oct. 24 and were ranked No. 15 in the Diehard G6 Top 25 before the Louisiana loss dropped them out.

Where they stand

Troy is 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the Sun Belt West. South Alabama and Louisiana Tech lead the division at 2-0. Louisiana is 2-1. The Trojans are a game back in the division race with six conference games remaining.

Remaining schedule

Troy needs three wins from six remaining games.

• Oct. 24 — UL Monroe (0-6, 0-2 SBC)
• Oct. 29 — at James Madison (7-0, 4-0 SBC)
• Nov. 7 — Louisiana Tech (4-2, 2-0 SBC)
• Nov. 14 — at South Alabama (4-2, 2-0 SBC)
• Nov. 21 — Georgia Southern (3-4, 2-1 SBC)
• Nov. 28 — at Arkansas State (3-4, 1-2 SBC)

UL Monroe on Oct. 24 is the first opportunity — the Warhawks are 0-6 and Troy is a 17.5-point home favorite Saturday. Win that and the Trojans need two from five. Georgia Southern and Arkansas State both have losing records. Louisiana Tech comes to Troy on Nov. 7. The road trips to James Madison, South Alabama and Arkansas State are tougher, but three wins out of six is within reach.